Consequences
by santeria
Summary: Hermione is sent back to Hogwarts in Tom Riddle's time. Panicked, she kills Riddle. When she finally returns to her own time, she finds that the future has changed dramatically and that a Darker wizard than Voldemort is on the rise. DMHG in later chapters
1. Sent Back

Everybody who knew Hermione Granger knew that she was a very brave girl indeed. But as the final battle was waging around her, Hermione gasped out loud, her hand quickly covering her mouth to muffle a cry of despair and terror. Her wand had just flown from her grasp into the waiting hand of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Bellatrix smiled manically, her black eyes glinting like onyx. She crooned to Hermione, "Aw, is da wittle Mudblood scared widout her wand?" Hermione realized how weak and stupid she must look, so she put her hand back by her side and straightened her back, staring defiantly into Bellatrix's eyes. "Kill me then." she challenged the Death Eater. "I'm sure Voldemort will be quite pleased with you."

Bellatrix winced slightly at Hermione's use of the Dark Lord's name, then sneered,"Oh, I'll kill you, no doubt about that. But first let's have a little fun."

Hermione had never felt so helpless in her life. Why had she allowed herself to get distracted from her dual with Bellatrix? A wayward curse spun past her hair, missing her by inches, but Hermione barely noticed. She was concentrating too hard on not breaking down and begging for mercy.

Bellatrix, meanwhile, had raised her wand and held it at Hermione's throat. She muttered a strange curse, and a line of turquoise light shot out the end of the wand. Hermione did not cry out even as the pain seared through her. Before the curse had started to work, however, an orange curse crashed into the turquoise one, causing Bellatrix to jump in surprise and Hermione to be enveloped in a bright glowing light.

It seemed to Hermione that she was spinning backwards while a loud cold wind rushed by her ears. It was an odd sensation, and Hermione wondered, horrified, what was happening to her. Suddenly her feet struck hard ground and before she blacked out, Hermione vaguely thought that the place she had landed looked very much like the Great Hall.


	2. Panic

When Hermione awoke, the first thing she noticed was that everything was bright and blurred. Muffled voices hammered her head. After a few seconds everything came into focus and Hermione realized that she was surrounded by many strange teenagers, all dressed in their house colors. They were eyeing her strangely, and Hermione realized that she was still covered in blood and dirt from the battle. A tall witch in black robes was wrestling her way through the crowd of students."Oh, move! Out of the way, please!...Yes, Nott, that includes you!"

As soon as she reached the very groggy and confused Hermione, she bent over and said in a gentle tone, "Hello, dear, I'm Professor Dunn. I'm going to take you to the infirmary now, so we can get you cleaned up, okay?" The rest of the students continued to stare as the woman helped Hermione up. Hermione, meanwhile, was looking dazedly around. Judging from the food-filled plates on the tables, she determined that she had interrupted them in the middle of a meal. She could already hear rumors beginning to spread as the students walked hesitatingly back to their tables, the nearest of which was Ravenclaw.

The infirmary was quiet, and the mediwitch was someone Hermione had never seen before. She clucked and fussed, moving quickly to clean Hermione up while making sure that she had no injuries. As Hermione sat in the bed, she thought of how lucky it was that she had ended up back at Hogwarts. Granted, she was in some strange time period, but it could have been worse- she could have ended up in Thailand or something. She was also quite glad that no one was yet questioning her about her identity or why and how she had suddenly popped into the middle of the Great Hall during mealtime, considering that her brilliant mind seemed to have abandoned her.

After a bit, Professor Dunn reappeared, proclaiming that she had spoken with the headmaster and thought it best to get her settled in the school in the meantime. "By the way, dear, might I inquire as to what your name is?" "Uhh..." Hermione replied smartly. Should she give her real name? But the professor smiled understandingly and said "Seems that the fall addled your brains a bit. That's alright, you tell us when you're ready. Now, I have one of Hogwarts' best students waiting right outside the door for you. He'll show you around. Come along." She swept out of the room, Hermione in tow.When she flung open the infirmary door, Hermione saw a boy waiting in the corridor. He looked up when the two women stepped out of the infirmary; Hermione was struck by how familiar the boy looked. The Professor placed a hand on her shoulder. "Meet Tom Riddle."

_TOM RIDDLE!? _Hermione's mind was screaming as she was overcome by a sudden onset of panic. After all, this monster was the reason why her life had been hell, why Harry had no parents. Bloody hell, he was the very reason why she was here in the first place. Both Riddle and Professor Dunn was staring curiously at her, but then Tom beckoned to Hermione while he turned to lead her towards the dormitories. In a flash, Hermione had yanked the professor's wand from her hand and pointed it at Riddle's back while she mentally cried _Avada Kedavra_. Green light flew out of the end of the wand and hit Riddle square in the back. Professor Dunn screamed loudly and shrilly, causing other teachers and some students to run to the scene where Hermione stood frozen over the body of Tom Riddle.

Hermione slowly became aware that there was a wand in her hand, a body at her feet, and a group of terrified people surrounding her. Suddenly, a few of the teachers leapt to seize her, knocking the wand out of her grasp and pulling her arms behind her. An amazing sense of nervousness ballooned up in Hermione's stomach. Hermione, not knowing how to deal with the fact that she had just killed the future Dark Lord, reacted the only way she could think of. She laughed. She laughed manically as she was pulled roughly away from the scene of the crime, leaving a group of shocked teachers and students staring after her in pure horror.


	3. The Murderer in St Mungo's

Hermione stared at the blank white wall of her room in St. Mungo's while wondering what Harry and Ron were up to, if they had survived the final battle and whether they thought she was dead or captured. Or did they even know yet that she was missing?

Hermione had gotten lucky– everybody had taken her for insane when she completely lost it and started yelling about how she simply _had _to kill Riddle because he would turn into a very powerful Dark Wizard in the future. And so Hermione had been spared Azkaban, and was now languishing in a locked, barred room in a ward of St. Mungo's that was reserved for the criminally insane. Yet Hermione felt she deserved it. She had messed with time in a huge way, and now the future would turn out entirely different.

The rest of the wizarding world was in uproar. Stories flew around faster than wildfire; everyone was shocked by the sudden appearance (literally) of a murderous, mysterious teenage girl in a school where you normally couldn't Apparate or Disapparate. Hermione had received scores of letters and quite a few Howlers. They weren't actually given to her, but she could hear them exploding out in the corridor, could hear angered voices screaming that she should rot in Azkaban. The people who sent the Howlers all came up with creatively offensive names for her, as she had not yet revealed her name to anyone.

Suddenly the lock turned and the white metal door creaked open. "You have a visitor."

In swept a very familiar-looking man. Half-moon glasses rested on his long, crooked nose, and his long beard was more brown than silver. Dumbledore. His expression was more serious than Hermione had ever seen. An intense mixture of joy and sadness filled Hermione when she saw him, and she had to repeatedly remind herself to not throw her arms around him.

"Hello, miss..."

"Granger." She blurted out her last name without thinking. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, perhaps wondering why she would tell him her name when she had previously refused to tell it.

"Ah, Miss Granger. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Before we begin, would you care for a lemon drop or pumpkin pasty?" Hermione shook her head mutely. "Very well." said Dumbledore, "I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"Yes sir. You see, I know you all think I'm crazy, but really I'm not. And I don't know how I'll be able to prove it, but I suppose telling you would be the best way to get out of this horrid mess." And with that she began her story, telling him where she was from, how she had attended Hogwarts, about Harry and Ron, about the rise and fall and resurrection of the Dark Lord, and about the war. When she was done, he stared deeply into her eyes for several minutes, as if trying to ascertain whether or not she was telling the truth. Evidently he decided to believe her, and he nodded, his eyes twinkling once more.

"That's quite a tale. But it will be quite hard to prove that during your trial. Which, incidentally, is in two days."

For a moment there was silence before Hermione suggested, "Can't you tell them that you spoke with me, and can't you tell them what happened?"

"They would think I had gone nutters. And I am sorry, but I do not remember you from the future."

"Then what about a Time Turner? If we go back, then we can undo the killing!"

"You forget, Miss Granger, that Time Turners have yet to be invented. Not unlike the Wolfsbane Potion, which, according to what you've told me, should make its appearance any day now, along with Veritaserum..." He paused. "Sorry, my mind wanders sometimes."

For a few more minutes the pair sat in silence. Then "I'VE GOT IT!" Hermione jumped from her bed and Dumbledore looked calmly up at her. The girl's eyes were bright, and she was practically jumping up and down. "We can use a pensieve! I remember the future, and can use my memories to prove that Riddle really would have turned into Lord Voldermort!" Dumbledore smiled at her, and Hermione got the sinking feeling that he had known that solution all along and had simply been waiting for her to come by it herself.

Abruptly he stood. "I shall be back tomorrow, and may be able to procure your wand so that we may fetch your memories." With that, he swept out of the room, the door magically locking itself behind him.


	4. The First Half of the Trial

The next day, as promised, Dumbledore arrived with a bowl and her wand. He held out her wand, and when she took it she felt a wonderful surge of power. A few sparks flew out of the end of the wood. Dumbledore then drew out his own wand and conjured a table out of thin air; on this table he placed the bowl, which he filled with water that spouted from the end of his wand. He turned to Hermione. "Before we begin, you should know that the water will make it possible for the memory to be seen by everyone in the Wizengamot. As I'm sure you know, pensieves are usually used by having the person fall into the actual memory. This way, that will not be required. The memory will simply be shown to us." Hermione nodded, and Dumbledore leaned against the wall. "Commence."

Hermione took a deep breath and held the wand to her temple. Dumbledore watched silently as a long silvery strand was pulled from her temple. One memory down. He conjured another water-filled bowl and placed it in front of her. Again, she took a memory from her brain and placed it in the bowl. Three more times they did this, so that there were five different memories to show the Wizengamot. Five memories that would prove that she was not crazy and that Tom Riddle would grow to be pure evil.

When they were done, they were silent for a moment. Dumbledore flicked his wand and the memory-filled bowls disappeared. Hermione was feeling very tired, but felt that she needed to ask the older wizard some very important questions.

"Sir? How exactly will my killing Riddle affect the future? And how can I get back to my time?"

For a moment Dumbledore stared dreamily into space. Then, "I do not think that it is for me to predict exactly how the future will be different. I do know that it will be a very different future than the one you left behind. Perhaps your friend Harry will have parents, and perhaps there will be peace instead of war. Or perhaps, a darker wizard than Lord Voldemort will have risen. I am not a Seer, Hermione. I can only guess as to what the future holds for us all. But it is probably better this way, not knowing...Whatever happens, happens."

Hermione was hoping with her whole being that the future to which she would return would be a peaceful one. She didn't want her action to have changed things for the worse.

"As for getting you home," continued Dumbledore, "I do not know. I do not think a Time Turner would suffice- it would only sent you back further away from your time. But maybe...maybe if a Time Turner can turn back time, maybe it can also turn time forward...We could try, but first, your trial awaits. I myself cannot wait to see what your memories hold."

With a smile and a twinkle, he was gone.

Ordinarily, Hermione would have been worried about showing people memories of the future. Not now, though. It didn't even matter this time, because she had irrevocably screwed up the future as she knew it. None of the things that the Wizangamot would see would come to pass, because that future would never exist, thanks to Hermione. What scared her was the thought that a darker future might take its place.

That night, Hermione slept hardly a wink. She was so nervous! No, not nervous, she was beyond nervous. She was terrified beyond any feeling of terror she had ever felt before. She wasn't thinking straight. The morning seemed to pass in a dreamy blur, and somehow it ended with Hermione being magically strapped to the chair in the middle of the dungeons in which the Wizengamot served. Dumbledore smiled at her from where he sat in his place as Chief Warlock.

By now Hermione was completely and utterly numb.

The trial started, and she was dimly aware of Hogwarts students and professors parading by to say that they had seen and heard her perform the killing curse on an innocent boy. Glares were cast at her, at the pale young girl in loose tattered robes.

At some point she became aware that Dumbledore had stood and was speaking. He was placing the five bowls in front of him, then picking up her wand the pointing at the first bowl, filling it with silvery substance. For a second, there was nothing but smoke. Then, quite suddenly, as if watching a Muggle movie, the memory appeared against the wall.

_It was in their second year, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in Dumbledore's office. Ginny was sitting quietly off the side. All four students were wearing school robes, making it quite clear that they were Hogwarts students. Dumbledore himself was sitting behind his desk and listening to Harry, who was talking frantically. The sword of Gyffindor and Riddle's diary (with a basilisk fang stuck through it) were on the desktop. Harry was fervently describing his conversation with Riddle, and was currently talking about when the words 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' had appeared. _"_Then the letters rearranged themselves to say, 'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.'" At this point, Hermione and Ron gasped, while Ginny's head shot up and she stared at Harry in horror. _

The memory faded out, and there was immediate uproar in the courtroom. All of the witches and wizards looked either shocked or outraged, and a few looked ready to use the killing curse on Hermione right then and there.

"SILENCE!" Everyone turned to look at Dumbledore, who said, "It seems that a break is in order. We shall meet again in one hour to see the rest of the accused's memories."

The noise resumed as people filed out, many looking dubiously at Hermione, wondering if this girl was really from the future and if she had really saved them all from a madman.


	5. The Trial: Part Deux

As promised, the trial restarted an hour later. The courtroom was filled with witches and wizards who were all standing stock still, staring anxiously at Dumbledore. Not one person so much as sneezed or even sent a glance at Hermione, who was fidgeting in the chair- the straps seemed to be getting tighter and were cutting off the circulation to her feet and ankles. She knew that they had all realized that Riddle would have eventually become a Dark wizard named Voldemort, but now they wanted to know what he could possibly do that would be so evil.

The members of the Wizengamot filed in and took their places. The four remaining bowls appeared, and the tension of the room rose palpably higher.

Dumbledore filled the bowl with her memory, and everyone leaned forward, staring fixedly at the wall on which the memory was projected.

_It was the summer after their sixth year, and the second Order of the Phoenix was gathered at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place_. _Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all members of the Order by then. All of them except Harry were sitting at the kitchen table, along with Lupin, the rest of the Weasleys (excluding Percy), Kingsley Shacklebolt, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. They were planning a mission that, if successful, would allow them to destroy two more Horcruxes._

"_But how will we know that this plan will work?!" Ginny was wringing her hands and pacing._

"_It's got to! There's no other way, Gin!" yelled Ron._

_Harry entered, looking tired but hopeful. "Ready, Hermione? D'you have the potion?"_

"_I'm all set." said Hermione, standing up and pulling her cloak on while tucking a vial in the pocket._

"_Harry, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, if it doesn't work, everything could be ruined!" Ginny sounded desperate. The adults exchanged glances but kept quiet._

"_Ginny...please..." Hermione begged, knowing that Harry had been very irritable lately._

"_Why are you so worried, Ginny? Do you think that I can't do it?" Harry looked positively furious. "Do you think that I won't try to make this a success, that I'll just give up?! I'm just as eager as you are for this thing to end! And I'm not going to give up, if that's what you're thinking. Voldemort killed my parents, remember? His Death Eaters attacked your father and made Neville's parents go mad! It's because of Voldemort that Dumbledore's dead! Now he's taken Hogwarts away! I want to stop him before he takes anything else from us! Are you with me or not?!"_

_Ginny nodded feebly and Harry and Hermione left the room._

The audience was silent for a moment, then whispers broke out. People's glances slid repeatedly between Hermione and Dumbledore, who seemed not the least bit disconcerted although he had basically just been told how he died in the future. Wordlessly he filled the pensieve with the third memory, and the whispers quieted as everyone waited for the memory to begin.

_There was a battle going on in Hogsmeade. The houses and shops were in ruins, and the Three Broomsticks was being used as an infirmary. The Death Eaters were in their masks, and were killing unarmed townspeople. Members of the Order and other wizards on the light side were trying to kill the Death Eaters and help as many people escape as possible. Curses flew rampant and bodies already littered the ground. Hermione was dodging the curses of the Death Eater she was dueling with when the Death Eater was hit from behind with Sectumsempra. She looked up to see that it had been Lupin that had saved her. She sent him a smile and turned to resume fighting when she was suddenly hit with the Crucio. Her hand tightened around her wand as she writhed in pain, and though she didn't scream it was clear that she was in pain. When it was over, she stood quickly; she couldn't just lay there because that would leave her as an open target for more curses. So she fought. After what seemed like forever the Death Eaters retreated, leaving many dead bodies in the streets and the Dark Mark glittering in the evening sky._

This time, there wasn't the slightest sound in the shocked room while Dumbledore got ready to show the fourth memory. Hermione received many pitying glances but did not react to them. The fourth memory began.

_Harry and Ron were lounging on fluffy chairs around the fire in Grimmauld Place. "Y'know, sometimes I think about how different life could be for us if Riddle had had a good childhood." said Ron while staring at the fire. "Yeah. Like, what if Merope had lived? What if he never went to the orphanage..." mused Harry. Hermione came down the stairs carrying a tall stack of books. "Oy! Stop being prats and help me with this!" she said, inconsequentially. The boys continued to gaze at the fire. Ron said, "Still, even if he did have a crappy childhood, I don't see how that lead him to killing every wizard or witch that disagrees with him." A few of Hermione's books toppled onto the floor. Frustrated, she yelled at Harry and Ron, "Look, there's nothing we can do about it now except destroy the Horcruxes and kill Voldemort. Talking about Riddle's past isn't going to get this research done!" The boys sighed and took the books from her, bringing them to a nearby table. They all sat down and pulled books toward them, then began looking for any clues that might lead to the last remaining Horcrux. _

Hermione realized that almost all of the wizards in the room looked confused. They didn't know what a Horcrux was, or who Merope was. Hermione, meanwhile, blinked back tears as she thought of Ron and Harry.

Dumbledore readied the fifth memory.

"_Well, there you have it." said Harry as the members of the Order crowded around the kitchen table. "The last Horcrux."_

_On the tabletop, the locket of Salazar Slytherin glittered. _

"_Do you realize," whispered Shacklebolt, "that this is it? That after we destroy this we must go on the offensive? We must attack the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. It is the only way we can win."_

"_The Final Battle." murmured Arthur Weasley._

"_No point wasting time, then." Harry raised his wand to destroy the locket. "Let's get this over with." He muttered a spell, and blue light shot from the end of his wand and surrounded the locket, which subsequently shattered. The pieces hung suspended in the air for a moment before turning into a fine powder that disappeared into the air. _

_Lupin stood."Alright then. Get ready for battle. Fight your hardest. This is our last chance." _

_Abruptly he conjured goblets filled with butterbeer for all of them. He raised his goblet, and the others followed suit. "To the death of the Dark Lord."_

Then the last memory faded.

Less than a minute later, the Wizengamot declared Hermione free to go.


	6. Searching for a Solution

It had been decided that a private room would be set up in Hogwarts for Hermione to stay in while it was figured out how to get her back to her own time. The room was small and modest, but Hermione didn't mind. It didn't even really matter, because she spent most of her days in the library, looking for information on time travel.

Yet, she found that she had become a social pariah. Everywhere she went there was a space of at least five feet between her and anyone else. All the students looked at her with scared faces but no one dared to talk to her. Professor Dunn refused to acknowledge that Hermione existed.

On the other hand the rest of the wizarding world was in awe of her and there were forever articles in the _Daily Prophet _about her. The were musings about what horcruxes were, who Merope was, how the girl was sent back in time, and the war that would have taken place in the future. Each day Hermione was pelted with letters that asked her these things, but she never answered them back. She just wanted to go home.

Dumbledore was still acting kindly towards her, and was being very helpful with the time-travel search. He was basically the only one that talked to her.

One day, a message from Dumbledore was delivered to Hermione by a very frightened-looking first year. When she thanked him, his eyes widened and he squeaked and ran away. Shaking her head, Hermione closed the door to her room and, trembling, opened the letter, the first and only one he had ever sent her. It must be important then.

The letter was very short: _A solution to your problem may be soon in coming. Meet me in my office during dinner. -Albus Dumbledore_

During dinner? Why was he being so secretive about this? Oh, what if he'd had a breakthrough and knew how to get her home!

For the rest of the day she couldn't stop pacing and fidgeting. She tried going to the library but couldn't concentrate on reading. When she heard the rumble of students' footsteps heading for the Great Hall, she stood by her door, her hand on the doorknob, waiting for the second that the rumbling stopped. As soon as it did, she flew out her room and ran all the way to the headmaster's office.

She wheezed out the password ("Licorice Wand!")and took a moment to catch her breath before walking up the stairs. She wanted to appear calm.

Dumbledore smiled when he saw her. He greeted her and told her to sit.

"Before we begin, I must tell you that no, I have not figured out a way for you to return to your time." Hermione's heart plummeted, but Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brighter.

"However, I have found someone who can."

He pointed behind her, and she turned to see a man who had been looking at Fawkes. She had missed him in her rush to get to Dumbledore.

"Meet my dear friend, Nicholas Flamel."

"Oh! Yes, you're the one who invented the Sorcerer's Stone!" blurted Hermione excitedly and without thinking. Flamel grinned.

"Clever one, she is. That'll be helpful."

Dumbledore stood. "I'll leave you two to your work. If you'll excuse me, there happens to be an excellent feast waiting for me down in the Great Hall. And that reminds me, you must eat as well." A couple of gold plates piled with food appeared on the desk, along with two goblets filled with pumpkin juice. Dumbledore disappeared down the stairs and Flamel sat in Dumbledore's chair.

"So...you are the infamous Miss Granger with whom the whole of the wizarding world is transfixed." It wasn't a question but Hermione nodded anyway. Flamel said, "And how do you know about the Stone? There are so very few who do."

"Well, sir, during my first year at Hogwarts the Stone was kept in a secret dungeon below Hogwarts. But a follower of Voldemort tried to steal it, and my friends and I, we had to stop that from happening. Harry was the only one who could have saved the Stone and Ron and I had to go with him and help him. The Stone was protected by all sorts of spells, you see. Anyway, the Stone was saved from the follower of Voldemort, but it was later destroyed... to keep it from being stolen...oh, I'm sorry! I really shouldn't have told you that last part..."

"It's quite alright, I always knew that I would stop using the Elixir of Life and die someday."

Hermione blushed, but Flamel continued.

"But seeing as you were able to get to the Stone when you were only eleven- that proves that you really are very bright. So, if we both really pour our efforts into this, we should find a way to get you home soon. Ready?"

"Yes."


	7. Solution Found

A/N: I used part of the concept of time travel in _the Philosophy of Time-Travel _by Roberta Sparrow in _Donnie Darko_. I also used a theory of space-time continuum.

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Hermione and Flamel had been researching tirelessly for weeks. They usually started for the library so early in the morning that it was still dark outside and left around midnight. Both had taken to eating very little and to obsessively reading all the time.

So far they had out ruled several ideas. A Time-Turner had been determined inadequate, since Time-Turners were relatively new to that time period and hence weren't very advanced. Also, they were used mostly for going back hours in time, not going forward years. Potions and spells had also been ruled out, as neither could find any that would transport one forward in time.

One day, the silence in the library was broken by one word:

"Portal."

"Pardon?" said Hermione.

Flamel grinned. "A time portal would work."

"Okay, you guys have just barely figured out Time-Turners. How in Merlin's name do you expect to make a time portal?"

"I am thinking that we could use the charm to make portkeys-"

"You have portkeys?"

"-and use it to to transport you to a different time instead of a different place."

Hermione was skeptical. "But that would take ages to figure out."

But Flamel ignored her and stood abruptly, making the girl jump in surprise. His eyes were glowing with excitement as he practically yelled "I'll be right back!" before turning and fleeing out of the library. Several nearby students stared at him before glancing at Hermione and turning away.

Mere seconds later he reappeared carrying a huge ancient runes book and a book about Muggle physics. He dropped them with a _thud _on the table and flipped open the physics book to show her two pictures. One was a flat coordinate system, the other was a wavy coordinate system.

"This," Flamel pointed to the picture of the flat coordinate system, "is the third dimension, the one in which we are in now. This other one," he pointed to the wavy system, "is the fourth dimension, which we can use to transport you years into the future. I can't believe I didn't think of it before! It's not exactly a time portal, now that I think about it- more like a time machine, really."

Hermione was looking at him as if he were mad, but the old wizard took no notice.

"Look, in our dimension we have longitude, latitude, and altitude. In the fourth dimension we have those three plus our perception of the passage of time." He made several seemingly random dots on both systems. "What we need to do is find a way to connect the points on the third dimension to the points on the fourth dimension."

"Okay," said Hermione, as if she understood. "How would we do that?"

"We would find the curvature of space-time between the two sets of points. We could use ancient runes for that. Once we find that, we'll be able to measure space-time and possibly build something that will be able to fold space-time, hence sending your forward in time."

"Umm...what's space-time?"

"Simple. Time and space existing together as one thing."

"Oh." Hermione felt immensely stupid.

Flamel resumed talking. "Of course, we'll need to make a vessel to send you off in. Which means we'll need an incantation to make it able to go through space-time...what year are you from?"

"Two thousand and six."

"Excellent. How about _'Portus ut annus duos mille quod semestris'_?"

"Sure. What does it mean?"

"It's Latin. 'Transport to year 2006.' Simple enough."

"Yes, very simple." Said Hermione. Flamel didin't seem to catch onto her sarcasm, as he started talking again.

"I'll work on the mathematics part of it. You go find a vessel in which to transport yourself. Make it metal."

So Hermione wandered off, hardly believing that they were about to make a time-machine that would take her home.


	8. Back to the Future

_It really isn't much to look at, _thought Hermione as she looked at the now-finished time machine. It basically just looked like a hollow metal cylinder with a door and a square cut into the side. In reality, the square was a window that Hermione had cut into the metal, for she wanted to be able to see what would happen. Also, she got a little claustrophobic when she thought of standing in that cylinder for Merlin-knows-how-long.

The walls of the room she was in were plastered with graphs and charts and equations. Hermione didn't understand any of it, though Flamel had tried numerous times to explain it to her. As the girl stood studying the equations, Flamel swept into the room and asked if she was ready.

"I think so. Do you really think this will work?" She didn't want to end up in some obscure place like Kosovo, or in a time period even further back than the one she was currently in.

"Positive. Do you have your wand? Don't want to forget that, do you?"

"Yes, I have it."

"Good. Step in, if you will."

Hermione took a few nervous steps toward the machine, then impulsively turned and threw her arms around Flamel. "Thank you so much. You've done so much for me." She unsuccessfully fought back tears. The older wizard unsurely patted her head, then smiled sadly at Hermione when she pulled away. Dumbledore appeared soundlessly in the doorway, smiling.

"Good luck and goodbye, Hermione Granger."

"Goodbye, Mr. Flamel and Professor Dumbledore."

Hermione stepped into the machine and closed the door behind her. Light filtered in through the little square window. She heard Flamel tap the metal with his wand and mutter the incantation. For about ten seconds nothing happened and Hermione wondered if something had gone wrong.

Then, it seemed to Hermione that wind started to blow around in the cylinder. Her ears were whistling, and her heart pounded. She looked out the window, and the last clear thing she saw was Dumbledore's gently grinning face.

Everything blurred and it looked like there were objects flying at a very fast speed past the window. The wind was cold. _Why does it have to be so cold? _Hermione shivered and bit her lip hard.

There was a scratchy thud sound and the machine stopped abruptly, pitching Hermione forward. "Ow!" Head spinning, she stood and peered out the window.

Trees. That was all she saw. She shakily crawled out of the machine and stood to look around in what she recognized as the Forbidden Forest. When she turned to look behind her, she noticed something that made her heart lurch: the time machine had disappeared. Great. She was completely alone in an unknown time period with no way to get back.

She took a deep, shaky breath, and started walking around a bit. After a couple minutes she found a thin path through the woods. Since there really wasn't any other option, she followed the path and found that the trees were getting farther apart and the forest was getting lighter. Then, she saw the most beautiful thing: Hogwarts.

She ran. She dodged trees and roots and weeds until she burst from the forest. Twigs were tangled in her hair, there were some rips on her robe and a few scratches on her face and arms. She didn't notice.

There were students milling about the grounds. Even from afar Hermione could recognize some of them. Parvati and Lavender. Cormac McLaggen. Hagrid's hut. There was Neville, hanging around near the greenhouse. And Malfoy! Hermione never thought she'd be glad to see Malfoy, but as she ran to the castle she actually had to exert effort to not throw her arms around him.

The students stared at her as she ran. Whispers followed her. Harry and Ron's voice broke the shocked silence as the boys called in unison, "Hermione!" They practically attacked her, throwing their arms about her. Ron actually kissed her on the forehead.

"Merlin, 'Mione! Where've you been? Honestly, the whole school's been on the lookout for you!"

"I'm perfectly, Ron. Really. I don't really remember what happened, but I think I got lost in the Forest."

"Lost in the forest?!" exclaimed Harry, whose forehead was scar-free. "'Mione, why in Merlin's name did you go into the forest? You know we're not allowed to!"

_Well, this is new. Harry actually follows the rules._ Hermione smiled at the boys, amused.

Ron took Hermione by the arm. "C'mon, we should go tell Dumbledore that you're back. He's been really worried about you too."

As the boys led her inside, Hermione had to admit that so far she liked this new future. The boys didn't seem as impulsive, Dumbledore was still alive, and students that had been killed in the war before were alive now. Yes, it felt good to be home. She couldn't wait to see what else had changed.


	9. Changes

The sun shone brightly as Hermione wandered about the familiar grounds. She found a stone bench and sat, thinking about how different everything was because Voldemort had never existed.

She still wasn't used to it. Sometimes when people who had previously been killed by Death Eaters came up to her, she jumped and stared at them. She had been told several times that she looked like she'd seen a ghost. It wasn't a completely off statement, either.

She remembered the first time she saw Neville. It had been only a couple of hours after she'd gotten back, and Neville and bounded up, excited that Hermione had been "found." As soon as she saw him, Hermione gasped and remembered how he had died before. She saw him being crucioed into unconsciousness and thought of how, for a while, everyone had been sure that Neville would go the same way as his parents. But Neville hadn't lived to go insane, which everyone had murmured was for the best.

Another thing that really surprised her was that not only were Harry's parents alive, but that Lily had instilled in Harry a sense of obedience to authority. Gone were the nighttime excursions and the rule-breakings and the adventures. The boy actually studied, and on several occasions he had told Hermione (much to her surprise) to focus on her essays. In a way, Hermione was saddened by this, by the fact that all their lives were so _normal_, that they had never experienced danger or excitement. Neither Ron nor Harry even tried to break the rules, and Hermione had come to realize that this was because there was nothing to compel them to break rules. Before, they had been driven by the thought of Voldemort taking over; now they had no such worries.

Ron was basically the same. He still loved to eat, didn't really study, and was dating that slag Lavender. This still pissed Hermione off.

And Malfoy! Oh, Malfoy! He had changed completely, as had most of the Slytherins. There were fewer pure-blooded wizarding families, and the students that were pure-blooded didn't boast about it. Why would they, when there was no reward for being pure-blooded? There were no Death Eaters to welcome them and give them a false sense of superiority. There were still incidents in which the term "Mudblood" was used, but these were few and far between. Because of this, there was more inter-house unity, and the Slytherins were actually friendly with the other three houses. On that first day back, Hermione had practically fainted when she heard Ron and Harry address Malfoy as "Draco", while Malfoy expressed his relief that "Hermione" had been found safely. This was very different from what the old Malfoy would have said, which would have been something about how disappointed he was that Granger was alive and well. What was even more shocking was that Draco had even smiled at her, and he had a nice smile! _Who knew Draco Malfoy had a heart?_ In spite of being civil, Draco was still considered the bad boy of the school. He was the new rule-breaker, and he talked back to teachers, cared only about Potions, and had allegedly ventured into the Forest on several occasions.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore still swept around the corridors and his eyes still held that perpetual twinkle. Whenever he saw Hermione he smiled at her, and Hermione had an inkling that he knew where she had been while she had been missing. She knew he must remember her, but she hadn't really thought about it much because whenever she tried to think deeply about the subject her head started to hurt.

All of the teachers were the same. Snape was even there, though there was something different about him. He wasn't as malicious as before, though he was still biased in favor of the Slytherins.

While Hermione was thinking about all of this while sitting on her bench, she heard the rustle of approaching footsteps and looked up to see Draco walking towards her.

"You really shouldn't disappear like that, Hermione. Everyone's going to think you've gone missing again."

"Why do you care so much, Draco? You didn't used to."

"What in bloody hell are you talking about?" He shook his head. "Anyway, it's time for dinner. Just thought I'd let you know, because I don't think I'd be able to look at you if you lost anymore weight."

_Aww, he cares. _

"Thanks."

She got up and walked with him to the Great Hall. They parted ways, and she sat between Harry and Ron and picked at her food as usual.

"I don't know how you can eat so little." said Ron through a stuffed mouth as he watched Hermione poke at her food.

"Yeah, you hardly eat at all." Harry's brilliant green eyes were filled with concern.

It was true. Hermione just hadn't felt very hungry since her return to her time. She was losing weight rapidly, but she didn't really care. She hadn't even gone down to the kitchens yet to see if Dobby and Winky were still there.

"I'm just not hungry." she said, standing.

"Can I have your pudding? Thanks." said Ron; he didn't wait for an answer before he scooped her untouched pudding onto his plate.

Hermione went through the doors just as Lavender rushed through them. "Won-Won!" Hermione rolled her eyes. _Some things never change_. She continued walking until she got to the library, where she stayed until Madame Pince kicked her out, which was ten minutes past curfew. This was the only thing that Hermione felt really connected her with her old life. This and Ron being an idiot over Lavender. It was pathetic, really.

She climbed up to her Head Girl rooms. Hermione was still surprised that she had made it to Head Girl; before, Hogwarts had been closed due to the war, so the sixth years had never gotten to experience seventh year.

The Head Boy was a Ravenclaw whom Hermione had never met before. Maybe he hadn't existed when Voldemort was alive.

That night, as Hermione lay in bed, she couldn't stop thinking about all the changes. But one change stood out in her mind- Draco Malfoy. She liked him a lot better this way; he was nice and it was perfectly alright for her to be friends with him. Maybe even more than friends with him...

A/N: So I guess it's turning into a Dramione fic now. How cute.


	10. The First Kiss

"Hey, Hermione!...Hermione!..._'Mione?_...OY!!!"

"WHAT?" Hermione tore her eyes from where she'd been staring, turning to look at a rather irritated Ginny Weasley.

"Well, I was _trying _to talk to you, but you were so deep in your daydream that you didn't seem to hear me the first three times I tried to get your attention. Next time you do that, I will slap you across the face to get your attention and I will not feel sorry for it."

"Okay, okay. What did you want?"

"You know what? Never mind. Obviously you don't really care about it."

"Of course I do! I was just distracted, that's all!"

"Whatever. You never listen to me."

"Yes I do! What's wrong with you? Why are you so mad at me? I didn't do anything!"

"See? You would know what was bothering me if you had been listening when I was talking to you earlier!"

Hermione stared at Ginny in disbelief. "Well, if you're going to act this way, I'm not going to sit here and listen to you accuse me of being a bad friend just because I got distracted a couple of times." She stood, slung her bookbag over her shoulder, and flounced off. Ginny glared after her, then sat where Hermione had been sitting moments earlier. _I wonder what she was so distracted by?_ She looked to where Hermione had been staring. The only thing she saw was Draco copying down someone else's Potions homework onto his parchment. Ginny looked around to see if there could be anything else that Hermione would be distracted by, but Draco was pretty much the only interesting thing in the vicinity. Ginny shrugged. _At least she's got good taste in men._

Hermione was livid. She stormed into the Gryffindor common room and slammed her bag onto a nearby desk before marching over to where Ron and Harry sat, attempting to do their Divinations homework. "RON!" she barked.

"What?" Ron glanced up, but stopped writing when he saw the anger on the Head Girl's face. Harry pretended to not notice that anything was going on.

"You tell your sister to stop being such a prat! She got mad at me today over absolutely nothing!"

Harry, unable to concentrate on his assignment, turned to Hermione and said, "Could you argue somewhere else, or at least keep your voice down so I can finish my homework?"

Hermione stared, then whirled around and grabbed her bag off the desk. "Aaargh, forget about the bloody homework! Just make stuff up, like you did before!" She stomped loudly out of the common room, leaving two very bewildered boys behind. Ron shook his head. "Honestly, half the time I don't know what she's talking about."

"Me neither. Come on, we need to finish this assignment- I don't want to get behind in class." said Harry, and the boys turned back to their parchments.

Hermione was running up the stairs. She just wanted to get to her dormitory, so she could be mad in peace. Muttering angrily to herself, she wasn't watching where she was going and consequentially ran straight into Draco Malfoy. "AAHHHHH!" The pair toppled down the stairs, landing hard on the stone floor below. After a few moments the shock wore off, and Draco sat up first, rubbing his pounding head. "Merlin, Hermione, watch where you're going. You could've killed me."

Hermione stood and brushed off her robes. "Thanks for your concern, Draco. I'm fine, by the way."

"That's nice." He got up and turned to leave, but Hermione, suddenly interested, fell into step behind him.

"Where are you going?"

He kept walking without a backward glance. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just wondering."

"I'm going nowhere that concerns you."

Hermione sulked in silence for a few seconds but still she followed Draco. Finally, he stopped and turned to face her. "Stop following me. It's getting really annoying."

"I would have thought you'd be happy to have a girl following you around."

"Perhaps a girl that I fancied."

Hermione couldn't help but feel somewhat offended. After all, she'd been having a bad day and all she wanted was to have a friendly conversation with him. She was trying to think of a comeback, but it was kind of hard when he was standing so close to her, his platinum blonde hair shining brightly with the light that was filtering in through the window.

"Hermione? Why are you staring at my hair? Is there something in it?" Draco reached up and combed through his hair with his fingers. Hermione sighed and Draco gave her a weird look. Seeing this, Hermione decided that it was time to go. "Oh! I just remembered! I have an essay to finish!" She hurried off, her cheeks turning crimson as she ran.

Somehow she ended up in front of the kitchens. For a moment she hesitated, then reached up and tickled the pear. The portrait swung open and Hermione climbed in.

Inside, there was the usual mass of house elves. Upon seeing Hermione, they crowded around her, offering plates of food to the girl. She politely declined, saying that she wasn't hungry. She scanned the mob of elves for Dobby or Winky, but neither of them were in sight. She then realized that Winky would never have been freed because she could never have been accused of conjuring the Dark Mark with Harry's wand, since there was no Dark Mark and no Death Eaters, and Harry was a regular boy. Dobby would never have been freed either, since the Malfoys were never involved in the Dark Arts so Dobby never had to warn Harry about going back to Hogwarts so Harry never freed Dobby.

All because Harry was no longer the Boy-Who-Lived.

Feeling saddened, Hermione left the kitchens and wandered outside. She saw Malfoy, loafing about the edge of the Forest. He saw her too and walked over.

"I thought you were going to stop following me."

"I did. And you were the one who just walked over here."

"True." He sat next to her, and Hermione felt a shiver of excitement dance up her spine when she realized how close he was. Suddenly, she had the urge to ask how Dobby was doing, but then he would probably think her to be weird and might wonder how she knew who Dobby was. This train of thought led to thinking about how the existence of Voldemort had affected everything in such a profound way, and now that he was gone her life was so ordinary. And it was all her fault.

"Why are you being so quiet? Are you okay?"

Draco's voice brought her back to the present. His face was _right there_, so close that she could feel his soft breath. His eyes looked gunmetal gray in the darkening evening sky. Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He was so surprised that for a few seconds he didn't respond, but then he started to kiss her back.

_Merlin, he's a good kisser...oh, what am I doing? This is Malfoy the Ferret that I'm kissing!...Wait, no, he's not Malfoy the Ferret any longer, he's Draco and he's nice._

Feeling heat rush to her cheeks, she pulled away abruptly then quickly stood. She murmured an embarrassed "I- I'm sorry." and walked briskly away.

_Yes, the absence of Voldemort has certainly changed almost everything._


	11. La Belle Et Le Bad Boy

A/N: In case you're completely hopeless when it comes to French, the title means "The Beauty and the Bad Boy" and refers to Hermione and Draco. It is also the title of a song by M.C. Solaar.

Hermione was bored. She had finished making her potion, and had even finished the rest of her Transfiguration assignment. Meanwhile, all the other students labored on, trying to finish up their Polyjuice Potions. After all, she had managed to make the potion in second year, so making it again in seventh year had been a piece of cake. Hermione sighed for what she felt was the thousandth time, and several nearby students sent curious glances her way.

Snape was not only having them brew the potion, but he had also told them that they would have to drink the potion as well. He had plucked from the head of each student a single strand of hair. He put each strand in a tiny bottle and distributed them randomly so that the strands could be added to the students' potions. Hermione got the feeling that he was doing this not only because the potion was NEWT level, but because he also wanted to wreak havoc.

"Hey. Hermione." Ron was leaning slightly towards her, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. "How do you cut the lacewings?" A shadow fell over Ron's desk, and the boy looked up to see Snape.

"Did I not make myself clear when I said 'No talking'? Twenty points from Gryffindor for not following instructions! And Miss Granger, move over there so Weasley can work on his own potion without distraction."

Hermione got up and moved her things to where Snape had pointed. Her new seat, unfortunately, was right next to Draco, and Hermione was immensely embarrassed to have to sit so close to him; she had been avoiding him ever since The Kiss. But Draco didn't even glance up from his cauldron, and Hermione couldn't help but feel stung by his refusal to acknowledge her. The rest of the class was silent. When Snape told them to bottle and label their potions, they did so. The students filed out of the room, several of them wondering aloud whose hair they got and who they would be turned into next class.

Draco stayed a few steps behind Hermione and when the students started to disperse to go to their next classes, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty nearby room.

"Draco! What are you doing? You're going to make me late for my next class!"

"Forget about class, okay? I just wanted to talk to you about-"

"Oh, don't even say it! I'm already embarrassed enough by! I even apologized to you, you could have at least said it was okay, or told me not to do it again, or that you don't like me in that way, and that would have been fi-"

Her rambling was cut off by Draco leaning in and kissing her on the lips.

"-fine." she murmured dazedly when he pulled away.

He smirked. "You'd better hurry to class. I'll see you later." He swaggered out of the room.

For the rest of the day, Hermione couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, and it seemed to her that the rest of the day floated by dreamily. Before she knew it, it was the next day and she had somehow been transported into the dungeons where Potions class took place.

Snape handed out the bottles of Polyjuice Potion.

"When I call your name, you will proceed to the front of the class and drink your potion."

It was an interesting class, to say the least. Parvati turned into Dean. Neville turned into Cormac McLaggen. Ron morphed into Millicent Bulstrode, and Draco changed into Harry. Harry himself got turned into Lavender. Dean turned into Ron. Seamus, coincidentally, had been given his own hair and hence remained the same.

Hannah Abbot took Hermione's form, and Cormac took Draco's. _So this is what I look like to everyone else_, thought Hermione as she watched Hannah take her seat.

"Hermione Granger."

Hermione walked shakily to the front of the class and held her bottle of Polyjuice Potion to her lips. She took a deep breath then downed the liquid. For a moment she felt nothing, then her body started to tingle. Hermione closed her eyes, and when the tingling stopped she opened her eyes and looked down at herself.

Her skin was a smooth dark brown, and she saw that she had long straight black hair. She was taller too. She was Parvati._ Definitely a lot better than being a giant cat_.

She walked back to her seat and sat next to Draco/Harry. Ron/Millicent and Harry/Lavender turned to look back at her, sending her grins and a thumbs-up.

"You _should_ all turn back to your regular selves after a couple of hours." said Snape at the end of class, his dark eyes lingering on Neville/Cormac.

In the corridors it was chaos. All the other students who hadn't had Potions yet knew about Snape's "experiment" but didn't know how to address the changed students exiting the classroom. The name "You!" seemed to be the word of choice, as calls of "You! In the blue sweater!" and "You! The one that looks like Draco!"(or whoever the other student was looking for) echoed throughout the halls. A student walking near Hermione called "You! The one that looks like Seamus Finnigan! Can you tell me who he turned into so I can find him?"

"I _am_ Seamus." said Seamus.

"No you're not. Stop lying."

"I'm serious! I got my own hair!"

"Yeah, right."

Although Hermione was finding the exchange of words amusing, she interjected, "He really is Seamus." before continuing down the hall.

"Hey, Hermione!" Both Hermione and Hannah/Hermione turned around to see Draco/ Harry running down the corridor towards them.

"Not _you_, Hermione." he rolled his eyes at Hannah, then pointed at Hermione/ Parvati. "That Hermione!"

He caught up with her, and to her surprise he intertwined his hand with hers. She couldn't help feeling like she was holding hands with Harry as she took in his messy black hair and bright green eyes.

He leaned in and said in a low voice, "You have to patrol tonight, right? For Head duties?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Meet me at midnight in front of the doors of the Great Hall. Don't tell Weasley or Potter."

He fled before she could question him further. Why did he want to meet her? Why had he called Harry and Ron by their last names? She wanted to run after him, but was interrupted by the appearance of Ron/Millicent and Harry/Lavender. Ron/Millicent was whining loudly. "If I had to be a girl, why couldn't I have been a hot girl?" Harry shrugged. "Too bad for you, mate."

Ron glared. "Shut up. Just because you got to be Lavender...you'd better hope I don't get struck by the urge to snog her." Hermione laughed. "Ew! Don't even think about that, Ron!" Harry, who was now standing slightly behind Hermione and looking alarmed, said "Yeah. If you try to snog me, I'll hex you into next year."

"Yeah, well, I can just put you in a headlock! Millicent is stronger than Lavender."

Smiling and laughing, they continued off to what they knew would be a very confusing class.

The dark hallways loomed around Hermione, who was back to her regular self, as she walked quickly and quietly to the doors of the Great Hall. It was a couple of minutes before midnight. Hermione was listening for footsteps, ready with an excuse in case Filch caught her. She got to the doors and waited in the shadows, constantly looking and listening.

"Hey." Hermione jumped, her hand flying to her mouth to keep her from screaming. She whirled around but saw no one. Then she smiled.

"Draco, take that Invisibility Cloak off right now or I'll leave!"

"Fine." He appeared in front of her, his light skin looking ghostly white and his silver-blonde hair shining in the moonlight. "But we'll need to put it back on anyway." He pulled her to him and slipped the cloak over both of them. His hand rested on her shoulder, steering her and holding her close to him. They slipped out the front doors and walked across the grounds, stopping in front of the Whomping Willow. It was the first time since she got back that Hermione noticed that the tree was perfectly alive and well.

Draco picked up a long stick off the ground and, quick as lightning, he poked the knot at the base of the tree with it. The flailing branches froze, and the two slipped off the cloak and climbed over the branches. Draco pulled her into the passageway under the tree.

"Follow me._ Lumos_."

Hermione, of course, knew where the passage lead: the Shrieking Shack. What she didn't know was why Draco was taking her there in the middle of the night. Still, she had to trust him, so she pulled her wand out and muttered "_Lumos_" as well before taking his hand and letting him lead her further down the tunnel.


	12. Tell Me A Fable

Hermione could feel her eyelids drooping shut even as she continued to walk down the dark tunnel. Draco's arm was now around her waist, supporting her and pulling her along.

"We're almost there."

Suddenly he stopped, and Hermione leaned against him, ready to fall asleep. With one hand Draco reached up and pushed away the trapdoor above their heads. He climbed through it then reached down to pull Hermione through the hole in the floor of the Shrieking Shack. The tug on her arms awakened the girl, and she wearily climbed through the hole.

"Draco, what are we doing here? I'm _tired_."

"Here." Draco conjured a cup of coffee and handed it to Hermione, who drank it gratefully. It took only a few seconds for the caffeine to work its magic, then Hermione stood and took in the musty, dusty Shack in all it's glory. Draco pulled a now-fully-awake Hermione up a flight of stairs and into a room, in which there was a broken bed and a whole lot of dust.

She turned to Draco, who smiled and, with a wave of his wand, transformed the hovel of a room

into a bright, comfortable suite. He sat on the fluffy, comfortable bed and gestured for Hermione to sit next to him. She complied. Suddenly he kissed her. It was much more passionate than either of the previous kisses, and Hermione found herself kissing back with equal fervor. This went on for a couple of minutes, until his hands started wandering. At that point she pulled back. "Draco...did we come here just to make out and snog?"

"No. I just couldn't help myself." Hermione felt her cheeks heat up, and she looked down as she settled herself amongst the thick pillows. Draco stayed on the edge of the bed, looking suddenly uncomfortable and anxious.

"What?" Hermione could feel his uncertainty.

"I'm just not sure. I mean, you'll probably think I'm making this up, or think that I'm mad."

"Making what up?"

He took a deep breath. "It's stupid really. I've been having these dreams. You're in them."

Hermione blushed again, but he rolled his eyes. "Not in _that_ way. Besides, Harry and Ron and everyone else at Hogwarts is in them too. Anyway, in the dreams, it's like we're all different. We don't like each other, and I call Harry and by their last names-actually sometimes I called Ron 'Weasel'-and call you "Mudblood." Don't be offended by that, I'm just telling you what's in the dreams. Sometimes, I see people in masks like skulls, wearing black robes and standing in a circle around someone. I can never see who it is, but the people in masks call him 'My Lord.'"

By now, Hermione was sitting straight up and staring at Draco. Could it be? Could he be...remembering the Death Eaters and the past that allegedly never happened?

Draco continued. "You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Truth is, I'm not even sure why. I just have this feeling that you'll know what I'm talking about." He glanced at Hermione's pale face and stunned expression. "And now you think I'm loony."

"No, I don't. Is that all you see in the dreams?"

"Pretty much. They're rather vague, only bits and pieces."

Hermione took a deep, shaky breath. Should she tell him?

"Hermione, are you okay? You look...odd."

"Draco..."

"What?" He sounded concerned.

"I have to tell you something too. See, those people in black robes and masks? They were real, and they were called Death Eaters."

"If they _were_ real, why am I dreaming about them? We haven't even learnt about them in any classes before."

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, the one that they addressed as 'My Lord' was their leader, Lord Voldemort. He was a very evil wizard who killed a lot of innocent people. He killed Harry's parents-"

"Harry's parents are alive, Hermione."

"Just listen! He tried to kill Harry as well, but for some reason the spell rebounded and hit Voldemort. He disappeared, and everyone thought he'd died. But he hadn't. He reemerged years later, and gathered all his Death Eaters, and a war was started. There was a prophecy involved in all of this, a prophecy that said that Harry and Voldemort would battle each other and only one would come out alive. The war waged on for over a year, and it got to the point where Harry and Voldemort were ready for a face-off. This lead to the Final Battle. Ron and I were also in the Battle, along with many other Hogwarts students who wanted to fight the Death Eaters. Anyway, during the Battle, I dueled Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the Death Eaters, and something went wrong and I ended up going back in time to when Voldemort was a normal boy named Tom Riddle. I panicked and killed Riddle, and that changed the entire future. I managed to get back to the present, but when I got back...it was all so different. You had been very mean to me before, but all of a sudden you were all nice and friendly with Ron, Harry, and me, and everyone who had died during the war was alive and well."

"Um...Hermione? Why are you telling me this fable?"

"It's not a fable! It really happened! Like I said, I went back in time and killed Riddle, so everyone had to start their lives over, and since there was no Voldemort there was no war. I remember it, Draco! And apparently you do too! That's what your dreams really are! They're memories!"

"Hold on, let me get this straight. All that stuff really did happen, but it happened in a past that never...happened?"

"Aaargh! I don't know how to explain it!"

"No, I think I get what you're saying."

"Okay. Do you think I'm mad now?"

"No, not particularly. Something about it makes sense."

"You know, in that past you were a Death Eater. You had a mark on your arm that proved it."

"I followed that Voldemort guy?"

"Yes. You were supposed to kill Dumbledore but you didn't."

"That's good, I guess."

Hermione sighed. "But how can it be that you're remembering things that you don't even know happened? And why?"

"I don't know. Maybe a part of me still remembers that past."

"If you remember that past, then surely others do too."

"Ask Harry and Ron. Or should I say 'Potter and Weasel'?"

Hermione couldn't help but smile and hit Draco playfully on the arm. "Okay, I'll ask _Harry and Ron_ tomorrow. As for right now, we'd better get back to the castle before everyone wakes up and finds us missing."

"Right." Draco flicked his wand and the room returned to its normal dreary, dusty self. The two walked down the stairs and crawled back into the tunnel. When they finally got back on the school grounds Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak over them. He dropped her off at the Head's dorms, and Hermione, despite being worried about Draco's dreams, fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit her pillow.


	13. Destiny

Hermione could not follow through on her promise to Draco that she would ask Harry and Ron about strange dreams the next day. She thought it would be weird for them if she were to suddenly question them about their dreams. She had to wait for the right time. Three days later, that time arrived.

Both boys arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast looking tired. Ginny and Hermione were already seated at the Gryffindor table when the boys plunked down in their seats. Harry's hair was messier than usual, and both had dark circles under their eyes and it looked as though their robes had been thrown on haphazardly.

"Bad night?" said Hermione casually.

"Yeah." was the only reply.

"Care to elaborate?"

"It's nothing." said Harry. _Why do boys have to be so dense?_

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Well, it has to be _something_. Bad dreams, perhaps?"

Ron said "Yeah" at the same time Harry muttered "Maybe."

Hermione leaned forward toward Ron, resting her chin on her hand. "Do tell. It might make you feel better."

Ron looked hesitant but started talking anyway. "I don't really know how to explain it. It was like, there was all of us, and we were fighting. In a battle. With guys in black robes and masks. I know it sounds nutters." He shuddered. "But...well, several people we were friends with _died_...ahem in the dream."

Harry had been staring at Ron with an astonished look on his face. "That sounds a lot like my dream! Except in mine there was also a creepy looking guy with red eyes."

Hermione stood. "We need to talk about this. In the library, where it's more private."

"Why?" Ginny jumped into the conversation. The boys' expressions told Hermione they wanted to know the same thing.

"Just come on. I'll explain it when we get there." The other three exchanged questioning glances and got up to follow her. When they passed Draco at the Slytherin table, Hermione tapped his shoulder lightly and gestured for him to follow them. He did so, softly asking Ginny where they were going.

The library was completely empty, with the exception of Madam Pince. The other students were all at breakfast. The five students sat at a table near the back.

Hermione addressed Draco first. "These two-" she jerked a finger toward the very confused Harry and Ron- "are also having the same dreams as you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, they're seeing the Death Eaters and everything."

"Um, Hermione? Will you please tell us what is going on?" Harry sounded exasperated.

Hermione took a deep breath and began to explain...

It took twenty minutes for the boys and Ginny to wrap their heads around what she was saying. Hermione fully expected them to proclaim both her and Draco as mad, but instead they interrogated her incessantly about the past that had never happened. Finally, the big question came up. "Why?"

"I don't know..." The rest of the group was silent as they pondered the purpose of the dreams. _There has to be SOME reason, it can't just be coincidental. Maybe we need to know what happened in that past for some reason. But why would we need that knowledge? _Suddenly it struck Hermione. _It was Harry's destiny to save the wizarding world...his destiny...He needs to save it again._

"I've got it." She said, unhappily. "Harry, in that past, it was your fate to fight Voldmort and to save the wizarding world from him. You need to do that again in this time."

"But there's no Voldemort for me to fight, Hermione."

"I know that. You just need to save the wizarding world in some other way then."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Oh!" Ginny cried, looking at her watch. "We're all going to be late! And I have Snape for my first class!" Quickly they dispersed, and while Hermione walked she wondered what Harry had to save them all from.

Over the next few days all three boys confessed to Hermione that their dreams were getting steadily worse, and more detailed and realistic. Then, quite suddenly, a couple of weeks after the meeting in the library, the dreams ceased. This worried Hermione the most of all. It seemed to her that the disappearance of the dreams meant that whatever Harry had to save them from was finally here.

One day, she saw it. It was in the _Daily Prophet _she was reading during lunch. It was an article, about a wizard and Metamorphagus by the name of Timothy Malvagio. He was very powerful, and was apparently gathering followers. His followers and he stressed blood purity. As they saw it, purebloods (and maybe even worthy half-bloods) should rule the wizarding world. Mudbloods and blood traitors were fit only for being servants.

Hermione knew that this was what they had been waiting for. This powerful wizard closely resembled Voldemort, and was even more dangerous because he was a Metamorphagus. He was also gaining followers at an alarmingly fast speed.

Meanwhile, the autumn months had flown by, and it was now time for Christmas holidays. Hermione was going to her home, Ron and Ginny were going to the Burrow, and Harry was preparing to go home to Godric's Hollow. Hermione was getting a bad feeling about Harry leaving; something was going to happen, she _knew _it. But when she tried to dissuade Harry from going home for the holidays, he ignored her, saying that everything would be fine.

How very wrong he was.

Elexander Graves had worked in the Department of Mysteries for many years. He was also a secret follower of a Dark wizard that was quickly rising through the ranks of the wizarding world, Timothy Malvagio, whom Elexander considered his master.

One day, the day after the Hogwarts students had left for their Christmas holidays in fact, Elexander came across something very interesting in one of the rooms of the Department of Mysteries. It was a prophecy, one that predicted that a certain Harry Potter would battle a Dark Lord, and that only one of them would live. Elexander repeated the prophecy numerous times to himself throughout the day; his master would be interested in this. Later that same day, he reported the find to his master, who praised him highly. The Master also decided that Harry Potter was a threat to his plan, and therefore must be gotten rid of.

It was only a few days later that he and several of his followers (they had yet to come up with an official name for themselves) made their way to a cozy little place called Godric's Hollow, where the Master knew the Potters resided.

Lily, James, and Harry Potter were eating dinner at the time, completely happy and oblivious. Harry was in the middle of telling his parents a rather marvelous story about one of his Quidditch games when, with a suddenness that scared them all, the front door was blasted to pieces. Lily screamed, and James ran in front of his wife and son to block them. A tall, dark figure appeared in the now-doorless doorway. His facial features were obscured by his cloak. Several other figures appeared at the windows, and the Potters were shaken by another blast that ripped apart the back door, allowing some figures in black cloaks to block the Potters' only other way out.

"Give me the boy." The wizard at the front door spoke, his voice low and gravelly. "Give him to me and you will not be hurt."

"No." James staunchly refused, and Lily grabbed Harry by the shoulders, pulling him to her.

"So be it." growled the figure. "_Crucio_." James went stiff, then began to twitch and writhe horribly. He was screaming, a blood-curdling sound that ripped through Harry's heart. Lily's hold on his shoulders had become even tighter, and her breathing was coming out hard.

"Stop it!" Before even Harry could figure out what he was doing, he had wrenched himself from his mother's grasp and taken a step forward. This man obviously wanted him, and it was his destiny to battle a Dark Lord. The way Harry saw it, this was his fight; his parents shouldn't be fighting it for him.

The man flicked his wand and James lay still on the ground. Lily rushed forward to try to rouse him, while also sending pleading glances in Harry's direction and death glares in the intruders' directions.

"What do you want?" Harry's voice came out in a whisper, and he hated that because it made him seem weak.

The figure said nothing, only raised his wand. From under the hood of his cloak there floated the words "_Avada Kedavra_." Green light shot out from his wand; Harry dove out of the way just in time, and the spell missed him by mere inches. He snatched his father's wand off the floor (sadly, he had left his own wand in his room- he didn't think he'd need it for dinner) and sent the only curse he could remember at the moment toward the figure in the doorway: _Stupefy_. The man dodged the curse, and a few of the followers closed in on Lily and James to keep them from aiding their son. The followers had been told to deal with the parents but to leave the boy to be dealt with by the Master.

The boy and the Dark wizard dueled; curses were shooting back and forth between them as they dodged and leapt and dove. _Expelliarmus_. _Diffindo_. _Arresto momentum_. _Furnunculus. Petrificus totalus_. _Impedimenta. Crucio_. _Avada Kedavra._ To Harry, it seemed to go on forever. Overhead, the sky was blackening and clouds were stirring.

At some point, the Master knew. He knew that this really was no ordinary boy; if he were, he'd be dead by now. He knew that he needed to kill the boy another time, another way- it wouldn't happen tonight. So he shot red sparks in the air, and he and his followers vanished with ear-splitting cracks, leaving an exhausted Harry and terrified James and Lily, who quickly enveloped their son in hugs and _Are you okay_s.

Harry realized then that Hermione had been completely right in all her suspicions, and that the battle had begun tonight. He knew it would only get worse from here; the Dark Lord would want revenge.

He was right, for at that very moment, the Master was pacing in his study, vowing to kill the boy and his family if it was the last thing he did.


	14. First Meetings and Fights

The attack at Godric's Hollow made headlines, so that whispers flared up amongst the students as soon as Harry broke through the barrier of Platform 9 3/4. He pushed his way through the crowds of awed students, seeking out Hermione, Ron, and Draco. He found Hermione and Ron talking together, but as soon as they saw him they stopped their conversation and whisked him onto the train and into an empty compartment. Hermione slammed the door shut behind them.

"Oh, Harry! We've been so worried! The newspaper said you were alright, but I know that Rita Skeeter can't be trusted, I've met her before, you know. How are you holding up? How are your parents? Oh, it horri-"

"Hermione! Let him breathe! Blimey."

Hermione glared, but Harry couldn't help but feel a little warm inside at the fact that she cared so much about him. He smiled ruefully. "I'm fine. My parents are fine. I don't know if Ron told you or not but they're staying at the Burrow." Hermione shot Ron a dark glare, showing that he hadn't told her. Harry continued. "Hermione, I really need your help. What do we do now?"

"I don't know, it's different than what happened with Voldemort. Maybe we can start gathering people who want to help you defeat him. There was a group like that before, called the Order of the Phoenix, except it wasn't made up of students, just Aurors. But seeing as there aren't any Aurors now, I suppose we'll have to recruit students."

"So, like an _army_?"

"Yes, but we can't very well call it an army because that could scare people off. Oh! In our fifth year, we started the DA- the Defense Association, or Dumbledore's Army- when Dumbledore was replaced as Headmaster by a dreadful woman who wouldn't even let students gather to play Quidditch. Anyway, we could call our group either one of those."

Ron said, "You know, DA could also stand for Dark Army."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, that's not going to be the name of our group."

Harry, feeling the need to input, said that he thought the Defense Association was the better choice of the two- he didn't want others to think that the army was being led by Dumbledore, which would probably cause the Headmaster even more trouble.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Hermione.

"What's so excellent?" drawled a voice from the doorway. Draco was standing there looking at them questioningly. Or, rather, at Harry and Ron questioningly. It seemed as if he were trying to not look at Hermione.

"Oh! We didn't even hear you come in! Sit down and we'll explain everything."

For the rest of the train ride, the four of them (later joined by Ginny) discussed how they would spread the word about the Association and, when and where they would meet, and how to go about training. They also decided that they should talk to Dumbledore about it, since they would be using dangerous spells within school walls.

Hermione wrung her hands and bit her lip nervously as the group ascended the twisting staircase that led to Dumbledore's office. What if he said no?

But Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle brighter when he saw them. He smiled, gestured for them to sit, and asked amiably what they were doing in his office on the very first day of the school year. Hermione, being the ringleader, did the explaining.

"Sir, we were worried about Mr. Malvagio. He's getting too much power, and you know that he already attacked Harry and his family. So we were just wondering if we could start a club of sorts, that would teach others defensive spells and how to block curses. You know, things that we would need to protect ourselves if any of us were put in a similar situation as Harry was."

Dumbledore's light eyes had flashed in Harry's direction, but by now had resettled on Hermione.

He smiled, and said, "A very good idea. What will you call this club?"

"The Defense Association."

"Brilliant. Now, off you trot to your dormitories. Tomorrow's going to be a very busy day, I think."

The five students trudged down the twisted staircase and into the corridor, talking about how to spread the word about the Association around the four houses. Draco agreed to talk to the other Slytherins about it, though he personally didn't think it would be a very popular idea among them. Hermione said she would talk to the Ravenclaw Head Boy, and Ginny offered to talk to one of her Hufflepuff friends. Ginny, Ron, and Harry disappeared into the Gryffindor rooms, but Hermione and Draco continued walking until they reached the Head rooms. There they stopped, an awkward silence hanging above them.

Hermione was the first to speak. "So...thanks for helping us out with this."

Draco shrugged. "No problem."

More awkward silence, then Draco asked how her holiday went. Hermione smiled. "Much better than Harry's, that's for sure."

"Mine too. Well, I should probably get going to my common room. Wouldn't want to get a detention from Filch for wandering around after hours."

"Okay. Good night."

He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "'Night."

Frowning, she watched him disappear around the corner, then climbed through the portrait into the Head's rooms. She got the distinct feeling that something was bothering Draco. He had been quieter than usual, hadn't seemed as excited to see her as he normally was, and his offer to talk to the Slytherins about the Association had been said in a reluctant tone. Hermione made a mental note to talk to him about it tomorrow, then changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed.

Word about the Association had spread around the school faster than Hermione and the others had anticipated. The date and place for the first meeting had been set, and Hermione had been making lists of spells that would be taught. Meanwhile, she was still worried about Draco. Try as she might, she couldn't get him to admit that anything was wrong. She had decided that she would work on him later; for now she had to focus on getting the Association up and running.

The first meeting took place in an empty classroom on the third floor. As Hermione walked around the third floor, she got hit by a strong sense of nostalgia because the third floor reminded her of when she, Harry, and Ron had gotten past Fluffy to save the Sorcerer's Stone in their first year. She shook it off, and continued on the way to the classroom to arrange desks.

Hermione couldn't help but feel nervous as the student's eyes followed her as she walked to the front of the classroom. Many students had turned up for the meeting, and Hermione knew that this was because they were all scared that what happened to Harry would happen to them. She turned to face them, and saw Draco shoot her a half-hearted but encouraging smile from the back of the room. She smiled back, then took a deep breath and began speaking. Hermione explained the purpose of the club, and at the end of her speech she drew a blank piece of paper out from her robes.

"This is for you to sign if you wish to join the Association. I have cast a charm on this so that if you do sign, you will not be able to tell anyone anything about the club. I did this because, with the growing power of Mr. Malvagio and his followers, the danger also grows, and we must be sure that we do not tell our defense tactics to anyone who may be against us. So be sure you want to join the Association before you sign."

The paper was passed around the room, and when it had been passed to everyone Hermione took it back.

"You will be notified when the next meeting will be."

When all the students except Harry, Ron, Draco, and Ginny had left, Hermione sat down to look at the list. It was rather long, and she realized that she didn't know who half of the people were. The others looked over her shoulder as she scanned the list.

_Terry Boot_

_Cho Chang_

_Marietta Edgecomb_

_Seamus Finnigan_

_Blaise Zabini_

_Elais Armour_

_Hilda Bilgewater_

_Joshua Underwood_

_Susan Bones_

_Lawrence Swift_

_Justin Finch-Fletchley_

_Luna Lovegood_

_Parvati Patil_

_Jason Moon_

_Harry Potter_

_Ron Weasley_

_Ginny Weasley_

_Draco Malfoy_

Hermione added her own name at the bottom of the list, then scanned it again. She noticed that Draco and Blaise were the only two Slytherins, that only one of the Patil twins had signed, and that Lavender hadn't signed at all. She wondered if Ron was disappointed.There were nineteen names on the list including Hermione's. She highly doubted that nineteen students could defeat a powerful dark wizard, but at least it was a good start.

Later that day, Hermione found Draco in the library, of all places. _He _never_ goes to the library. _Smiling, she sneaked up behind him, then suddenly flung her arms around him while whispering "Guess who" playfully into his ear. But Draco didn't even jump in surprise. Instead, he shrugged her off and said "Not now."

Hermione glared, angry that he kept ignoring her. "What is _wrong_ with you?Ever since we got back from Christmas holidays, you've been acting all quiet and secretive and you've been avoiding me! Tell me what is going on. Please. I want to help you."

"You wouldn't understand."

"I understand a lot more than you think."

Draco glanced around the empty library, then pulled Hermione by the arm to a table in the back corner. When he spoke his voice was a whisper. "Fine, I'll tell you. But only because you keep bothering me about it. Over the holidays, my parents told me that they're joining the followers of Timothy Malvagio. They wanted me to join with them. I refused, and, well, things got pretty ugly with my dad. So I'm staying at Zabini's now. Are you happy now?"

Hermione stared. "Oh...I'm sorry, Draco-"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm just not in the best of moods right now, so leave me alone, okay?"

"I just want to help you!" Hermione's voice was getting louder as she got more exasperated.

Draco glared and said acidly, "I don't want your help, _Granger_."He turned to walk away, but Hermione, on impulse, grabbed his arm. "Wait. Listen to me for once-" Before she could process what was going on, she found that Draco had flung her off of him hard enough to send her crash-landing onto the floor. There was a loud snapping sound as her wand cracked in half. By the time Hermione's head had cleared, Draco had disappeared, leaving her alone with a rather sore arm and a broken wand.


	15. Something Wicked This Way Comes

The weeks had floated listlessly by, and several students had left Hogwarts to join their parents in following their Master. Fear was growing among the remaining students, and the Association was growing rapidly.

Hermione's wand was still broken; she would have to wait until summer holidays to go to Ollivander's and get a new one. Meanwhile, Harry was teaching the Association, and Hermione was teaching Harry. She showed him the complicated wand movements and told him the incantations, but never performed the spells herself in case they backfired. These were dangerous spells to get hit by, and Hermione remembered all too well the time when Ron had tried to curse Malfoy with his broken wand and had ended up vomiting slugs. She had no desire to have the same happen to her.

Draco, meanwhile, was still pointedly ignoring her. She assumed that his parents were still trying to persuade him to join the Dark Side, which would explain why he was getting more irritable with each passing day. Hermione also assumed that they were broken up, although the exact words had never been exchanged.

Ron and Lavender had had a huge row, and had also broken up. Every time Ron passed her, Lavender took the opportunity to cry and whine to her friends about how Ron had been a horrid prat to her. Hermione was sorely tempted to hex the girl, but didn't dare try any curses with her Spellotaped wand.

Yet, in spite of all the troubles with the Association, classes, and relationships, there was one thing that bothered Hermione the most. She couldn't stop thinking about it and wondering what it meant. It was the fact that neither Malvagio nor his followers had attacked anyone in about a month. Something was up; Hermione realized that they had to be saving their energy for something big, or possibly building up their own army. So she worked the Association harder, taught them more advanced spells, but still she didn't feel safe.

It was too quiet on the day that the attack finally happened. The air had been too still, and Hermione had been feeling a strange sense of foreboding all day long. When she climbed into bed that night, she couldn't get to sleep. Instead she lay awake, listening and wondering.

_Swish._

Hermione sat up. She thought she had heard something but she wasn't sure.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Where was that tapping sound coming from? Hermione picked up her wand (though she didn't know what good it would do), then took the list of the members of the Association. The list was up to forty students, all of whom had been charmed to be unable to speak of the Association to anyone. She folded the list and tucked it in her shoe, which she then slipped quietly onto her foot- she didn't want the list to be destroyed because then the charm might not work anymore. She put on the other shoe and her robe and stood by the door of her room, her ears straining.

She heard nothing. For about ten minutes she waited, but her breathing was the only sound she heard. Sighing, Hermione turned back to her bed.

_BANG!_ The sound was followed by screams.

Hermione wrenched the door of her room open, and flew out into the corridors. The screams were getting louder and more frequent, and intermixed with them were the thundering sounds of running footsteps and things breaking. Hermione ran toward the screams, and saw flashes of different colored light around the corner. She skidded to a stop, then took a deep breath and jumped out from the shadows, her wand held high.

The scene that met her was horrifying. There were Hogwarts students, all in their pajamas, fighting against figures in dark robes. The figures' faces weren't visible; it didn't look like they had masks, but the places were their faces should have been looked all black. It reminded Hermione horribly of the dementors.

She noticed that the members of the Association were in front of the other students, protecting them while they fled from the castle.

Suddenly, coldness washed over Hermione, and with a start she realized that there really were dementors in the school. As the happiness drained out of her, a bright yellow curse whizzed past her head. _Why would anyone make their curse such a happy colour? _Hermione turned quickly to face one of the dark figures. It raised it's wand, but Hermione heard no incantation; the figure was using a nonverbal spell. A purple light shot out of the end of it's wand, but Hermione dodged it while shouting _Sectumsempra! _The spell came out alright, but instead of hitting the figure at which it was aimed it turned sharply to the left and hit the wall, rebounded, and disappeared into the confused crowd of students and Dark wizards and witches. Hermione barely had time to hope that the spell hadn't hit a Hogwarts student when another thread of coloured light shot past her shoulder.

Hermione dodged again, but a curse came from behind and hit her. She found herself flung to the wall; her head slammed into the stone, and her wand got broken in another place. Hermione dazedly opened her eyes to see one of the figures looming over her, it's wand pointed at her. She looked frantically around, and saw a lost lone wand lying on the ground not too far from her. As the dreaded green light poured from the end of her attacker's wand, she lunged to the side, snatched the wand, aimed, and called _Petrificus totalus_, all in one smooth motion. The figure fell, it's arms snapping to it's sides. Hermione broke it's wand then turned to continue the battle. Her eyes caught the silver flash of Dumbledore's beard, but the Headmaster disappeared from her sight in an instant.

It wasn't long before she found herself facing a dementor. It's rattling breath sent chills up her already-cold spine, but still she tried to think happy thoughts. She raised the wand that she had found, and cried _Expecto Patronum_. A Patronus would have been helpful, but instead a wisp of white cloud was all that escaped the end of the wand. Hermione raised her wand to try again, but suddenly a pearly white snake came between her and the dementor. The dementor retreated, and the snake evaporated. Hermione saw Draco pushing his way through the crowd towards her. He pulled her up and handed her the wand. She sent him a smile of thanks, but he didn't return the sentiment. Instead he turned away and disappeared into the crowd again.

The fighting continued on for what felt like days. When the other students had all disappeared, the Association members began to retreat as well; they knew that there was no way they could win. They backed away from the attackers, and didn't turn their backs to the castle until they were out on the grounds, at which point they ran. Hermione ran to the front of the group, and motioned them into the Forbidden Forest. They followed, and Hermione took off her shoe and tapped it. "_Portus_."

When they were all grasping the shoe, Hermione said "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

Moments later, the group collapsed in front of the old house. Hermione unlocked the door ("_Alohomora!_") and hoped that the house was still abandoned. It was- everything was just as dusty as she remembered. She led the group to the kitchen, and when they were all standing around the table she turned to see who had been lost in the battle.

Harry and Ginny were there. Ron and Draco were missing, as were about fifteen others. The remaining members were looking around the kitchen, mystified.

"What is this place?" said Dean, who was bleeding rather badly from his right arm.

"It's Grimmauld Place. It used to belong to the Black family. I don't know where they are now."

Hermione supposed that Narcissa Black had still married Lucius Malfoy, and that Andromeda had still married Tonks, but she didn't have a clue as to where Sirius or Regulus were. Regulus might have joined the Dark side again, and if he had then Hermione assumed that he would be at Hogwarts, gloating about the victory over the students.

_The students_. Those cowards had attacked sleeping students, the oldest of whom were eighteen , the youngest eleven years old.

Hermione wondered where the faculty was. She had glimpsed Dumbledore earlier, but now the remaining Association members were alone, and there were students and teachers who were probably still on the grounds of Hogwarts. Some were dead, some probably got lost, many were injured, and Hermione had the sickening feeling that some hadn't been able to fend off the dementors and had been given the Kiss.

And now, there was only these students left. These exhausted, pajama-clad teenagers standing around a broken kitchen table. There were twenty-three of them.

A light tapping at the window distracted her.

"Look! Our owls! They must have escaped and found us!" Elais Armour pointed excitedly, and Harry strode over and flung the window open. Fourteen owls streamed in, circling the room before landing on the shoulders of their owners.

Harry said, "Wonder where the other owls are" while peering out the window. Hermione felt anger rising in her, and she grabbed Harry by the back of his collar and yanked him back.

"Don't do that! You might be seen!" She shreiked, then slammed the window shut and pulled the ragged curtains shut. She turned back to face the others. Harry glared sulkily while rubbing the back of his neck.

Silence filled the room. After a few minutes, Neville squeaked out, "What do we do now?"

Ginny was the only one to reply. "We have to find the others."

"We can use the owls." added Dean. The others nodded, hope creeping over their faces.

They sat at the table, on the floor, and on the counter.

Then they got to work, beginning by making a list of everyone who was missing.

Hermione felt a sort of pride rise up in her. These students had survived because of what she and Harry had taught them, and now they were taking things into their own hands, not even complaining about lack of sleep or food.

Maybe they wouldn't win the war, but they were willing to die trying.


	16. Holding On

The room was completely dark and windowless, yet Draco could hear the rustling of clothes and feel the solidness of moving bodies. Oddly, the captured students weren't shouting for help. They were acting remarkably calm in light of circumstances, each of them trying to ascertain where exactly they were and who else was there.

They were, in fact, still in Hogwarts, in one of the empty dungeons in the basement. The door had been magically locked by the attackers, and not a single student still held a wand. The students were milling about the room, which was too small for the number of people it now held. All of the students were dressed in now-tattered pajamas, though a few did have robes or shoes on.

"Ouch!" Someone stepped hard on Draco's foot.

"Sorry." Ron's voice floated from the darkness. He was standing very close to Draco, but neither noticed it, as it was too dark to actually see anything. No matter how hard Draco strained his eyes, he could make out nothing more than dim, moving shapes.

How long they had been trapped here, none of them knew. It felt like days, though it was probably only hours. Draco silently wondered what would happen to them. Someone else bumped into him, and Draco, annoyed, backed up against one of the cold, stone walls. He sighed and slid down into a sitting position.

He would just have to wait.

Hermione couldn't sleep, so she padded downstairs to the kitchen to make herself a strong cup of tea. When she reached the bottom of the stairs however, she noticed a slim figure lounging in the dark on one of the armchairs.

"You alright?" She said, sitting down in another nearby chair. It was a stupid question, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. Harry continued to stare at the wall, and Hermione reached over and turned on a lamp. Bright green eyes flicked to her then back to the wall.

"Harry, we'll find them. I promise." Her tone was a soothing one, but Harry's response sounded cold and frustrated.

"Don't, Hermione. Don't promise that, because...what if we don't find them? Or if we do, and they're all dead?"

"You can't think like that. You have to be positive."

Harry was silent for a moment, then murmured, "I envy you, 'Mione. Sometimes I wish I could remember what happened with Voldemort."

Hermione frowned. "Why?"

"Because then you wouldn't have to be doing all the work. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing, yet it's my destiny to conquer the Dark Lord. Remembering would help."

But Hermione shook her head. "You had no idea what you were doing with Voldemort either, and you got through that rather well...We'll figure it out, Harry. We always do."

When morning came, Neville was the first person to come downstairs. The first thing he saw was Hermione and Harry curled up in their armchairs, sleeping peacefully.

The door to the dungeon was flung open suddenly, and the students quickly lifted their hands to shield their faces from the sudden light. Coldness washed over them, and two Dementors and one masked man glided into the room.

"Everyone, follow me. If you try to escape, you _will_ regret it." He motioned toward the Dementors, whose rattling breath sounded louder than ever in the silent room.

Draco and the others shuffled out, and looked up to see that the corridor was lined with Dementors. At the end of the corridor, another masked man appeared.

"Girls, follow me this way."

The girls inched past the boys, then disappeared up a staircase. The boys shifted nervously as they were herded into what they all recognized as the Potions classroom. Cauldrons stood hulkingly on the desks.

"Each of you go to a desk!" the man barked. Draco slipped behind the nearest desk and looked down at it. Only then did he notice that there were ingredients on it. The man in charge swept to the front of the classroom what Draco thought was a perfect imitation of Snape. _Where is Snape anyway?_ His thoughts drifted to the former Potions master.

He was jarred out of his thoughts by a movement at the front of the classroom. The man had raised his wand, and an evil grin had appeared on his face. His next words shocked them all.

"_Imperio_."

It was then that Draco and the others found themselves being ordered to make Veritaserum, which would be administered to each of the captives later. A very small, rational part of Draco's mind was saying _Don't do it _but before Draco could gather any control over his actions he was already crushing the lacewing.

All fourteen of the owls had been sent off with parchments on which were written the names of those who were missing. Hermione had charmed the parchments so that if a student was found alive and uncaptured, the address of Grimmauld Place would appear, allowing the student to find them. If the person was captured or dead, the parchment would simply disintegrate.

It was decided that while they waited for the owls to return, the members of the Association would work on battle plans that would allow them to take back Hogwarts.

In the end, only Luna Lovegood (she had been lost in the Forest), Joshua Underwood (he had been wandering along the train tracks of the Hogwarts Express), and Marietta Edgecombe (who had been found surprisingly far away from Hogwarts) were the only ones to return.

There were twenty-five members left. No one knew where the students who weren't members of the Association might be. Ginny pointed out that they may have fled the magical world temporarily, and Cho suggested that they had found safe hiding places.

Either way, there wasn't much time to waste. Both Harry and Hermione were both acutely aware of how quickly the days were passing. They were especially worried about Ron and Draco, and were running on a maximum of three hours of sleep a night. They had both accumulated dark circles under their eyes and had lost weight. Still, they plastered smiles on their faces each morning; they needed to keep morale up.

In private, the two of them worked together on a battle plan that both of them thought would work rather well, considering how few members they had and that they would be fighting against powerful Dark wizards and witches.

Draco was really beginning to wonder whether anyone was going to try to save them. He was getting really sick of this whole captivity thing.

The boys and girls had been separated completely, and Draco had actually found himself hoping that the girls were faring better than the boys were. The boys' dormitory consisted of ratty old bunk beds in a dungeon, and their only food was pitiful rations of bread and thin soup. Draco hadn't known that the house elves were capable of making such terrible food.

Each day they were marched to the Potions classroom and _imperio_'d to make potions that would help the enemy. Occasionally, a random person would be picked out of the line and taken away. Usually the person looked somewhat weak or sick. Whenever this happened, the rest of them would hear screams echoing down the corridors for hours on end. The horrid sounds would end suddenly, and Ron (whose skin seemed to have acquired a slightly green colour) had once said that he had the terrible feeling that they weren't killing the students, but were just giving them the Kiss. He had immediately been told to shut up; such talk made everyone even more nervous.

To make things worse, Draco had been having terrible dreams in which he saw Hermione being tortured and killed. It occurred to him that he didn't know whether or not she had been captured. He didn't think that she had, but he still wanted proof that she was alright.

He also wondered whether his parents knew that he had been captured. He realized that if they did, then they most likely didn't consider him their son anymore. Yet, a part of him still hoped that they would come and help him.

All he had was hope.

The candle flickered, casting shadows around the room and revealing two figures hunched over a table, whispering furiously to each other. Their whispering stopped after a few minutes, and they stood silently, staring at the piece of parchment that lay on the table.

"I think we've got it." Harry finally whispered, his eyes roving over the battle plan again.

Hermione nodded. "We'll tell everyone else tomorrow." She swept up the parchment and rolled it up. "Then, in two days, we take back Hogwarts."

Harry blew out the candle, then he and Hermione trotted silently up the stairs and bade each other a good night before disappearing into their darkened rooms.


	17. What Seems Like Forever

Number twelve Grimmauld Place was eerily silent.

Earlier that day, Harry and Hermione had explained their battle plan to the others, who had agreed with the plan in a way that was somehow both grave and enthusiastic. They had decided to use the rest of the day to brush up on their fighting skills, so that now the group milled quietly about the library, practicing wand movements and murmuring incantations under their breaths.

They were planning to attack Hogwarts the next day, and all of them were utterly terrified, although no one tried their best not to show it.

Hermione had been practicing her spells for hours before she finally gave in to the rumbling of her stomach and headed for the kitchen. There she found Harry and Ginny, both sitting silently and looking glum.

"You might want to practice your fighting. Just a thought." said Hermione.

Ginny shook her head. "I can't bring myself to concentrate on that. I'm terribly scared, Hermione."

Hermione nodded. "Me too. What about you, Harry? You look kind of ill."

Harry frowned, then said slowly, "I'm not really scared...I mean, I am, but not as much as I thought I'd be. I just have the feeling that something really big is going to happen during this battle. Something that will completely change the course of the war."

He was right, Hermione knew it. And it made her even more scared, because what if the thing that was to happen made it even harder for them, the resistance? But she couldn't let Harry see that, because she knew that he depended on her to keep things running smoothly. So she squared her shoulders and said resolutely, "All the more reason to practice. You need to be prepared for whatever might happen." With that, she walked briskly out of the room, having forgotten about getting something to eat.

The chair to which he was tied was cold and hard; the ropes were rough and pulled tight, cutting off circulation. The Veritaserum forced down Draco's throat was more tasteless than water.

The masked men had used Veritaserum while interrogating of the students, but had received no definitive answers from the captives. When asked who taught them to fight, there was no answer. All the followers knew was that it had not been a teacher. Therefore, the question remained. Which student was the leader of the resistance? No matter how much Veritaserum was forced down their throats, no matter how badly they were tortured, the captives did not answer the question.

Hermione had done a good job with that charm that she'd put on the list.

When Draco was asked who the leader of the resistance was, he was first struck by the overwhelming urge to tell the men everything he knew. It wasn't like they'd be able to find her...He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't get the words out. It was physically impossible for him to say anything about her or the Association.

A resounding slap to the face was his reward, and the men continued to barrage him with questions, none of which he could answer. In the end, he was simply dragged back to the dorms because he had been crucio'd to the brink of unconsciousness.

At least he didn't have it as bad as Weasely, who was getting the worst treatment because he was friends with Harry, whom the men were beginning to think was the leader of the resistance.

Still, the other boys in the room made no mention of the interrogations. Draco received only curt nods of somewhat sad acknowledgment as he crawled to his bed. The rest of the room was quiet.

The sun had not yet risen when they left Grimmauld Place. Looking like a funeral procession, they wore their robes– which fluttered in the cold breeze– and bowed their heads. Their footsteps made no sounds on the road.

Then they disappeared into the nearby woods. The 'pop' that accompanies port-key transportation could be heard only faintly from the town. Nothing else stirred.

They reappeared in the Forbidden Forest. Luna promptly stumbled over some rocks on the darkened forest floor. A few nervous giggles floated from the students' mouths when they saw that, but Luna seemed not to notice. She straightened right up and twirled her wand lazily while looking dreamily in the direction of Hogwarts.

It was freezing, and Hermione pulled her robes closer; her breath came out misty in the still morning air. She nodded at the others, and the group surged forward, following her and Harry swiftly through the trees. As they walked, other students stumbled and tripped. It was too dark for them to clearly see where they were going, and Hermione had strictly forbidden anyone from using 'Lumos' for fear that the lights would be seen from the castle.

They approached from behind the castle, which looked vastly different from the school they remembered. For the school they knew had been warm and welcoming, and a place full of life, a place they'd thought of as home.

Now, the castle was dark and forbidding. It reeked of death. The scent of it emanated from the stone and overwhelmed them. Hermione's stomach flip-flopped as she took in the sight, and the others had paled noticeably. Harry was staring. "Stop goggling." Hermione muttered, then turned to others. "Let's go."

Again they moved forward, and to Hermione's surprise Harry led the way, walking confidently in front of her. There was a determination in his stride, and he held his wand at the ready.

It was to be a quiet attack; they couldn't afford to take on all the Death Eaters (as Hermione now called them- it gave her hope somehow) at once. There were guards at the doors, though they were half asleep. As the group came closer, one of the guards awoke. He made a quick movement for his wand, but wasn't fast enough. Him and the other guard were petrified in one silent second.

No sooner had they slipped through the doors, they found themselves surrounded. Black-robed figures stood in a semicircle around them, wands held high. Both sides seemed momentarily shocked by other, and for a couple of seconds no one moved at all. Harry's sudden cry of "_Diffindo!_" jarred them all back to reality. Too late, for Harry's severing charm had effectively slashed one of the Death Eaters very badly.

And suddenly there was confused screaming and fighting and there were curses and hexes flying. One curse zipped disturbingly close to Hermione's head, but she dodged out of the way just in time. More and more Death Eaters were appearing, and she knew that the Association members wouldn't be able to fend them all off. Just then, Hermione was hit by a vicious blasting charm that sent her sprawling. Pain exploded throughout her. The world was spinning, and she tasted blood. She tried to move but couldn't; it hurt too much. _We need a miracle_, was her last clear thought.

They were all awoken by a commotion upstairs. "They've come to save us!" cried Weasely elatedly, and Draco felt something akin to joy fill him. He didn't think, just let loose in a mad rush towards the door. The boys pounded and pushed with all their might, but it took what seemed like forever for the door to fall with a splintering crack. They fell out of the room and clambered up the stairs, ready to fight.

Later, Draco would think that they must have been a sight: a group of semi-starved, rag-clad, bruised teenage boys with no wands running up the stairs, eager to fight a wizard's war.

Upon realizing they had no wands, the boys did the next best thing. They fought muggle-style. Draco leapt into the fray and lunged onto one of the followers from behind. He tightened his arm around the man's throat, holding on tight as the man swung madly about, his curses missing their targets completely. Draco's arms were beginning to ache, and he narrowly missed being hit by a curse that careened dangerously near him. Another curse grazed his leg, causing pain to shoot up it. Still he held on, and eventually the man crumpled to the ground. Draco snatched up his wand.

The other boys were fighting hard, and the captured girls had appeared from nowhere. The noise was deafening. He continued to fight.

Harry had seen Hermione fall. He'd wrenched his way though the crowd, dodging and ducking curses as he went. He saw a flash of short, bright red hair– Ron. Feeling more hopeful, he knelt near Hermione and picked her up. Dodging another curse, he searched frantically for somewhere to put her that would be safe. It occurred to him that there was no way he'd be able to carry her safely away.

The sudden appearance of the captured members of the Association was his lucky break. With everyone distracted, he wove his way through the crowd and slipped behind a nearby door. He walked quickly up the stairs then sidestepped into a classroom. He laid Hermione down on the floor. "I'll be back later, 'Mione. I promise."

"Are you sure it's okay to leave her here?" The voice startled him, and Harry whirled around to face a very frazzled-looking Ginny Weasley.

Harry was just about to answer when something appeared in the doorway behind Ginny. A man, very tall and in black robes with a hood. His face could not be seen at all. The Dark Lord.

"Harry?" Ginny looked worried, then shook her head. "We should get back."

"You are going nowhere." the voice that came from under the hood was low and menacing. Ginny paled, then swung around to face him. She took a few steps back. Harry pulled her behind him, and stepped forward.

He remembered everything that Hermione had told him about their encounters with Voldemort. He remembered Hermione saying that Harry had talked to Voldemort, had had actual conversations with him. Harry didn't know what he expected Malvagio to say, but it certainly wasn't the words that floated out from under the hood.

"_Avada Kedavra._"

Green light. A scream. A flash of auburn hair. Ginny pushing Harry out of the way. Ginny lying still on the floor.

The Dark Lord laughed softly. "Foolish girl."

Harry stared at Ginny's body, then a fury overtook him. He had expected Malvagio to talk to him as Voldemort had. But Malvagio was more direct. He wanted to get right to the point. He simply wanted to kill Harry as quickly as possible, to get rid of who he thought was the leader of the resistance.

"_Crucio._"

Pain seared though Harry. He could feel his muscles ripping and his bones creaking and breaking. His entire body was on fire. The pain ceased after a few seconds, though it seemed longer to Harry.

Another soft laugh. "Couldn't resist a little fun."

Harry tried to stand, failed, then tried again. He managed to stay upright by leaning on a desk. His mind had gone blank; he couldn't think of any curses.

The Dark Lord raised his wand again.

"_Avada Kedavra._"

Downstairs, the fighting continued. A man with a long silver beard and half-moon glasses appeared. Dumbledore. Followed by McGonagall, Lupin, Flitwick, and Snape.

Hermione's miracle had come.


	18. Questions

Dumbledore didn't hesitate to leave the other teachers to defend the other students. Instead of fighting, he hurtled up the stairs at top speed, speeding toward the classroom where he knew the three students were. How he knew where they were, even he wasn't sure; all he was sure of was that he needed to save them.

The door stood partially ajar. The headmaster flung it open and stopped short, staring at the sight before him. Looking at the three students, he feared that he was too late.

Miss Granger was the farthest from the door, lying on her back. Her hair was splayed out on the stone, one arm flung to the side. Her robes were bloody and torn, her face expressionless.

The young Miss Weasley lay closest to the door, facedown. She was too pale. Dumbledore leaned down and turned his head to listen for breath. There was none. He touched her forehead gently; it was cold.

But the most striking figure of all was that of Harry Potter. He was lying between the girls, his body twisted in an odd manner on the floor. Even though he looked badly hurt, it was obvious that he was only unconscious, not dead. Curiously, there seemed to be a deep, oddly-shaped cut on his forehead. Looking closer, Dumbledore saw that the cut was in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Downstairs, there came a series of ear-splitting crashes. Followed by the sounds of running footfalls, then utter silence. The headmaster hesitated for a mere second before turning quickly on his heel and flying down the stairs.

The followers of Malvagio had fled, and the students and teachers were simply standing in the corridor, looking rather lost. Bodies were strewn on the floor. The only two people that seemed to still have their wits about them were Snape and McGonagall, who were conjuring stretchers for the injured students and were tying up the dark wizards and witches who had been hurt during the battle. Later, these prisoners would be healed and interrogated by the Ministry.

"_Relashio_." murmured Snape, binding another prisoner, before looking up and seeing Dumbledore. He stopped, and the students turned to see Dumbledore descending the stairs.

"There are two injured and one dead upstairs."

Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She groaned at the bright white light, holding up her hand to block it. Her head hurt like hell.

"Thank Merlin, you're awake! Here, dearie, take this potion, it'll make your head feel better." Madame Pomfrey was at Hermione's side in a second, pushing a vial at the girl. Hermione wordlessly took it and drank. Satisfied, Madame Pomfrey took the vial and said merely "Get some rest" before bustling away.

The headache was dissolving rapidly, and when it had completely disappeared Hermione sat up and looked around the hospital wing.

What she saw was disheartening. There were loads of injured students lying on the beds. A few students were sleeping in chairs, their forms twisted and their limbs dangling. To Hermione's right, a shock of black hair caught her attention. She peered over. It was Harry.

He was asleep. His hair was even wonkier than usual, his clothes rumpled. One leg hung over the edge of his hospital bed. On his forehead there was a lightning-bolt-shaped cut that was scarring over.

Before Hermione could further inspect Harry for any injury, she was interrupted by Ron's cry of "'Mione!" Ron and Draco appeared, with Ron dashing up to her bedside while Draco trotted behind. A few of the resting students stirred at the noise.

Ron looked mostly fine, though he was a little too pale and thin. It took Hermione a while to realize that his eyes were full of sadness, even though he was smiling excitedly. Draco looked even worse off. Hermione hadn't thought that it was possible for him to get any paler, but now his skin was nearly as pale as the ghosts who used to inhabit the castle. His bones were visible even through his thin clothes. His smile at Hermione was both genuine and wobbly.

"'Mione? You alright? We've been really worried about you– you've been out for ages!" said Ron, tactless as usual. Draco said nothing.

Hermione smiled briefly, then proceeded to ignore Ron's question and ask "What happened? Is Harry okay?"

The two boys exchanged glances. Ron's ears reddened, and he looked down at his shoes. Draco answered her questions, his voice soft.

"No one really knows what happened. But...Ginny died. Sorry." He shuffled his feet nervously, but held eye contact with her. Hermione suddenly felt very cold.

"But how can no one know what happened?!" She cried shrilly. "What about Harry? And how'd Ginny die? Somebody has to know, someone must have seen it! Are you all daft? You can't just say that there were no witnesses and leave it at that! My best friend is dead, and I don't even know why!" She was crying by now, and as she opened her mouth to continue her rant, Ron cut her off.

"Merlin, Hermione, keep your hair on! She was my sister and I also want to know what happened, but you don't see me yelling and screaming at people!" He whirled around and left in a huff. Hermione glared after him.

Draco shrugged. "Don't get your knickers in a twist over it. He's been acting funny all week."

"Week?"

"Yeah."

The tone of his voice didn't leave room for any more questions, so Hermione just nodded.

Draco said, "I'll get you something to eat."

"Thanks." Hermione watched him leave, then turned once more to Harry. Glancing around to make sure Madame Pomfrey was out of sight, she flung off her bedcovers and padded over to Harry's bed. She shook him gently. "Harry..." she whispered. He stirred a little. "Harry!" Her whisper was louder, and Harry curled into a tight little ball, muttering something having to do with a flying car. Hermione rolled her eyes and poked him hard in the gut. He jerked awake, sitting up fast and looking around wildly. His eyes landed on Hermione and he said in a cross voice "What'd you do that for?"

"Nice to see you too."

He sighed and laid back down. "Sorry. I've just been feeling really rotten lately. Then again, we all have." He gestured to the rows of injured students. Suddenly a look of startled realization crossed his face. "Hey. You're awake!"

"Well spotted. How are you feeling?"

Harry smirked. "Just fine, Madame Pomfrey."

Hermione grinned, hitting him playfully on the arm. But her smile quickly faded and she said, "Do you know about Ginny?"

"Yeah." The boy looked his hospital sheets.

"Well? What happened?"

He hesitated, then gestured for her to lean in. She complied. "She took Malvagio's _Avadra_ for me." he mumbled.

Questions poured into Hermione's head, but as she opened her mouth to start asking, they were interrupted by Draco's reappearance.

Harry watched Hermione eat but didn't talk again. He just couldn't bring himself to answer all the questions he knew she would have. He didn't even know the answers himself.

Around five, Dumbledore strode into the hospital wing. He nodded in Hermione's direction. "Miss Granger. Nice to see that you're doing better." Hermione thanked him, then resumed her conversation with Draco. Dumbledore continued to walk the rows of bedridden students. After a few short conversations with those who were awake, the headmaster made his way to the door. On impulse, Harry jumped out of his bed and ran to Dumbledore. "Sir, excuse me." Dumbledore turned his twinkling eyes on Harry and said, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Uh...may I speak with you?"

"Young man, what are you doing out of bed? And stop bothering the headmaster!" Madame Pomfrey took hold of Harry's arm and made to steer him back into the infirmary.

"It's quite alright." said Dumbledore amiably, putting a hand on the nurse's shoulder to keep her from imprisoning Harry. "The boy is obviously well enough to jump and run, I think he'll be able to stand a little chat."

The nurse relented, but shot Harry a harsh glare. "Be back in ten minutes."

Harry followed Dumbledore up to his office. The headmaster settled himself behind his desk, steepling his fingers and looking expectantly at Harry, who sat down nervously.

"Um, sir, I just have a few questions."

"Ask away, my boy."

"I remember the Dark Lord hitting me with the Killing Curse a second time, after Ginny...after Ginny died. And I was, er, I was just wondering...Why didn't I die?"

"A fine question. You lived because Miss Weasley sacrificed herself for you. Simply put, her act of love for you protected you from the evil of Mr. Malvagio's curse."

"Oh...may I ask you something else?"

"If you must."

"What happened to Malvagio?"

"Alas, a question to which I do not know the answer. By the time I reached you, Mr. Malvagio was nowhere to be seen. We do not know where he is, and the fact that he is a Metamorphagus makes it difficult to detect him."

"So he'll come back?"

"Someday, yes. It is my belief that he is alive and well and hiding out with his followers, biding time until they see an opportunity to attack."

Harry's heart dropped. He'd been hoping that Malvagio was killed by his own wayward Killing Curse. Then he forced a smile. "Well, we clobbered them once. We should be able to do it again."

"I most certainly hope so. Now, Mr. Potter, we must return you to the hospital wing or Madame Pomfrey will have my head. Come along."

Harry followed the headmaster out, his mind still consumed with the image of Ginny dying at his feet.


	19. Haunted

Hermione leaned on Draco while the two walked down the corridor towards Gryffindor Tower. She had just been released from the infirmary and was eager to get everything in her dorm resettled. When they reached the Fat Lady, Hermione turned to Draco and told him that she'd meet him in the Great Hall when she was done. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek ("How sweet," cooed the Fat Lady upon seeing this) then muttered the password and climbed through the portrait hole.

The common room was a complete mess. The tables were overturned and books lay torn on the floor.

Hermione slowly climbed the staircase to the girls' dorm, and her head began to ache fiercely. When she reached the top, she saw that the dorm was also in disarray, with a few bed curtains that had been ripped down in panic. There were some clothes strewn on the floor, and Hermione looked them over while she walked to her bed, to make sure that none of the clothes were hers. None were, but Hermione did wonder who that hot pink miniskirt belonged to.

As she sat on her bed, something in her peripheral vision made her stop. Frowning curiously, she walked over to the little window and peered out. For a moment she just stood there, uncomprehending, then a hand flew to her mouth.

The grass down below, on the western side of the castle, was no longer smooth but was dotted with little white things. When Hermione squinted and tilted her head, she could tell what the white things were. Headstones. Rows and rows of clean, pure, ivory-colored headstones.

The pain in her head was growing, but Hermione flew out of the dorm, stumbled down the steps, and ran out of the common room. Two staircases later (one was a trick staircase), she ran out of breath and leaned against the wall, breathing hard, her head feeling like it was going to explode.

Suddenly, Hermione became aware of someone standing beside her. She jumped, gave a little squeak of surprise, and promptly lost her balance and fell over.

"Are you alright, Hermione?"

She looked up to see Neville peering concernedly at her.

Before she could answer, she heard soft footsteps echoing down the empty stone corridor, and Hermione glanced over to see who was coming. Ron rounded the corner, and she flicked her eyes back to Neville, opening her mouth so as to answer him.

But Neville had vanished.

"Hermione? Are you okay? What are you doing on the floor? Do you need to go back to the infirmary?"

Ron started to help her up, but Hermione jumped to her feet. "I'm fine. Did you see where Neville went? He was here a second ago."

Ron's blue eyes filled with worry, and he reached down and touched her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine, Ron." Hermione stamped her foot to emphasize her point. "Merlin, I ask a simple question and you act like I'm bloody mad."

Ron wasn't about to give in without a fight, apparently; he said, "Are you sure you saw Neville?"

"Positive. Why?"

"Hermione, I think you'd better come with me."

"I told you, I needn't go to the infirmary."

Ron shook his head and took hold of her arm, steering her down the corridor and a few flights of stairs, and finally onto the grounds. The whole way Hermione was demanding that Ron tell her where they were going, but Ron ignored her. When he stopped walking, Hermione stopped glaring at him long enough to look at where they were.

They were standing in front of the pristine rows of white headstones. Ron pointed to one near the end of the first row. "There. Read that one."

Hermione complied, walking over to the headstone and kneeling down in front of it. Carved into the white stone was the inscription: _Neville Longbottom, Sixth year_.

Hermione stared. How could it be that Neville was dead? She'd seen him just a few minutes ago, and he'd talked to her, and he hadn't been silvery or transparent like any of the other Hogwarts ghosts. Yet...she supposed that his death surprise her– he had died in the past-that-never-happened as well. It was probably his destiny, then. To die at a young age while fighting to protect the wizarding world.

Ron was standing behind her. Hermione whispered, "It doesn't say what house he was in."

"None of them do. It's to show that all of those who died were on the same side and fought for the same thing, even though they were all in different houses. Interhouse unity, I guess."

"Ron? Will you show me where Ginny's grave is?"

He didn't answer, just started walking over to the third row of headstones. Hermione followed, then knelt down in front of the headstone he'd stopped at.

_Ginny Weasely, Fifth year_.

Hermione swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry. "When did they bury everyone?"

"You were still unconscious."

He sat down, and the two of them stayed there for about an hour, just sitting there and thinking, looking at the graves and the darkening sky. After about forty minutes, Hermione murmured, "We should go inside. It's getting late."

"Yeah."

They stood and brushed off their robes before walking back to the castle. Once inside, Ron went off to the Owlery and Hermione decided to go to the Great Hall for dinner. She was walking toward the Hall when she remembered. _I was supposed to meet Draco there an hour ago! Bloody hell!_ She ran the rest of the way and burst into the Great Hall, which was filled with eating students. She scanned the Slytherin table but didn't catch sight of the familiar blonde head.

She rushed out and raced toward Slytherin tower._I've got to find him!_

She didn't know the Slytherin's password, so she waited until a first-year stepped out, then she slipped in before the portrait closed.

The walls of the Slytherin common room were an elegant crimson, a fire was blazing in the fireplace, and the silver chairs looked even more comfy than the green ones in Gryffindor tower. The only people using the chairs, however, were a couple who were too busy snogging to notice a Gryffindor in their rooms.

Hermione walked up the staircase to the boys' dormitory and peered cautiously into the room. It was empty. _Where could he possibly be?_

She left Slytherin tower and continued to look.

She didn't find him until two hours later. He was in the kitchens, leaning against a wall and moping. The house elves scurried about as if he wasn't there. When Hermione climbed through the portrait, she had immediately seen him, but had been barraged by house elves offering her food. After insisting that she'd eaten dinner, they finally left her alone and she was able to go to Draco. She sat next to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't meet you earlier. It's just, something came up with Ron and I forgot. I'm sorry, Draco, really I am."

Draco didn't look at her. "So I'm not important enough for you to remember? I waited, you know." He laughed bitterly, then stood and looked down at her. His face twisted into a smirk that Hermione recognized from long ago.

"That settles it, _Granger_. If you can choose Ron over me, then I guess we're not going to work."

He turned on his heel and strode angrily away, leaving Hermione stunned and alone.


	20. New Beginnings

Hermione was curled up in a chair in the corner of the library, reading over the day's Daily Prophet for the hundredth time. She'd finished all her assignments and wasn't in the mood to deal with Harry and Ron right now. The paper in her hands heralded the growing number of attacks on Muggles, a fact that had Hermione anxious, with thoughts of the Association and white gravestones churning through her head.

Besides, she couldn't handle Harry's moping over Ginny and Ron's badmouthing Draco (who was completely ignoring her) anymore. The boys were driving her mad, and sometimes she wanted them all to get lost in the forest and get eaten by Aragog or something. It would make her life a whole lot easier.

Piercing laughter startled her out of her thoughts, and Hermione got up and peered around the library shelf. There was Pansy Parkinson, laughing loudly while Draco whispered in her ear.

Hermione did not want to think about what he was saying that would make Pansy laugh like that. Instead, she focused on not cursing Draco into oblivion, and she whirled around, slammed her book shut, and marched out of the library with her nose in the air.

_If Draco's going to act like that, it's fine with me!_ She stomped up the stairs toward Gryffindor tower. _I have other things to preoccupy me, like...brushing up on my defense spells! Or Harry and Ron!_ She barked the password at the Fat Lady, and stormed into the common room then to the girls' dormitory. She threw her books onto the bed, then stopped and took a deep calming breath. "It's alright, Hermione. He's just an idiotic prat, and you can do much better," she muttered to herself. She walked over to the window and stared out at the graves, letting herself get lost in her thoughts once again.

At dinner that night, Hermione noticed Draco sneaking glances at her. She glared at him, then turned to her friends and pointedly ignored him for the rest of the meal. When the plates cleared, she saw that he had disappeared.

_Git._

Things were almost back to normal at Hogwarts. Except for the Muggle attacks and the cemetery that constantly reminded of the war, things were good. The students were able to catch up in class and worry about dating and marks rather than death and murder. It was a very refreshing change.

There was nothing to indicate that Malvagio was planning another attack on Hogwarts. While the attacks on Muggles were disturbing, they were not close enough to arouse panic in the school. Harry, his forehead marred by a scar left over from when Malvagio tried to kill him, still struggled in Potions and Transfiguration; Ron, who was slowly getting over his sister's death, was still thick-headed and stubborn.

But no one could forget what had happened, and people started being more cautious and paying more attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and there was a subtle, perpetual anxiety that hung in the air as the students waited. Waited for something to happen.

They knew the war wasn't over yet, but for now they just wanted to be teenagers.

Over the next few weeks, Hermione noticed that the Muggle attacks seemed to be getting more sporadic, with fewer people dying. She wondered what it meant. Did it mean that the Dark Lord was losing power? Or was he simply saving his energy for another attack on Hogwarts?

To distract herself from such disturbing thoughts, Hermione buried herself in her schoolwork. She continued to ignore Draco, hang out with Harry and Ron, and read _the Daily Prophet_. Her life slowly slipped back into the routine of the pre-war days.

It wasn't until a couple months later that Hermione started dating Ron. He may not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but he was sweet and clueless in the way that only lovesick boys can be, and would do anything for her.

Draco continued to date Pansy, but sometimes Hermione still caught him watching her during dinner. Whenever this happened, Hermione would scoot closer to Ron, maybe lean her head on his shoulder. She was happy with Ron, and she wanted Draco to see that.

Harry was having a rough time of it. He was hailed as a hero by many, and Hermione knew it was hard for him because he was actually a pretty private person. He tried to ignore the admiring looks that were constantly shot his way, and he distracted himself by gazing at Cho Chang constantly.

All in all, they were content. Not exactly joyous– that wouldn't come until the war was over and the Dark Lord vanquished– but they could cope. They had each other, after all.


End file.
